as in relics
one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity
now a has-been, the actor's been reduced to appearing on a third-rate reality show
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for has-beens
Noun
-
Inside the Normal School capsule were relics related to the 1881 assassination of President Garfield, along with the 1881 Los Angeles population count, at 11,183.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026 -
Those army-green relics are postcard-perfect by anyone's standard.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of all the man-eating dinosaurs breaking free of their exhibits, everything remained hunky-dory, and the guests actually enjoyed their time at the resort.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Still, a young kid is a young kid no matter the era, and to fulfill his wish of seeing real dinosaurs, Arco disobeys his parents.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Has-beens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/has-beens. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
