Definition of washed-upnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of washed-up Deborah sees Ava as entitled and self-righteous, Ava sees Deborah as washed-up and boring. Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026 Hacks season 5 Five years ago, Ava (Hannah Einbinder) struggled to accept her lot in life when she was hired to be washed-up comedian Deborah Vance's (Jean Smart) new writer. Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026 The film, about a group of revolutionaries who reunite to help one of their own — Bob Ferguson, a washed-up, paranoid stoner — rescue his daughter from their longtime enemy, has a lot to say about our fraught, divisive reality. Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025 Last offseason, the Washington Capitals signed several players seen as washed-up or underachieving. The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2025 Forget washed-up — Escola might not yet be a widely recognizable name, but the 37-year-old is on track to become one of the most original and influential voices in the alternative comedy scene. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for washed-up
Adjective
  • Or when some man behaving like a degenerate gambler plods into Chelsea Gray’s DMs with a disgusting slur.
    Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Populist theatrics, divorced from the prosaic work of consensus-building and problem-solving, degenerate into political escapism.
    Will Marshall, Washington Post, 18 July 2026
Adjective
  • Discard any that look dead or decayed.
    Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Last fall, major lenders reported that business was booming despite a sluggish art market, arguing that collectors preferred borrowing against valuable works rather than selling into weaker conditions.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Goods consumption is weak, while services consumption is outperforming, running above headline GDP growth, Liao said.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Adjective
  • At its proudly overripe heart, the series is a gothic domestic soap—Lifetime themes gussied up in Southern finery.
    Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Check your raspberry patch and harvest every few days to avoid overripe fruit that attracts picnic beetles and other pests.
    Melinda Myers, Star Tribune, 30 July 2021
Adjective
  • Meet the chicken kidney sponge, a true ecosystem engineer that could use its filter-feeding power to clean the degraded habitats in and around busy harbors.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 July 2026
  • Once the spin is stopped, the company plans to update the craft's guidance, navigation and control systems to compensate for the degraded configuration.
    Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Adjective
  • Republicans have sought to cast him as an effete extremist.
    Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
  • Scarf critics accuse the accessory—and by extension, its wearers—of being effete or affected.
    Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Once famous for garden parties and croquet, the Victorian-style inn is now known for its boardwalk dining, afternoon tea, and decadent desserts.
    Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2026
  • Is there a better snack than a spoonful of creamy, nutty peanut butter or a more decadent dessert than Peanut Butter Brownies?
    Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Washed-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/washed-up. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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