as in relic
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
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Recent Examples of has-been
Sonny strides onto the track with unruffled cool—a Pitt signature—and is laconic enough to endure a series of press conferences at which journalists are quick to label him a has-been.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
On June 8, Nicole Scherzinger, 46, won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond, a has-been staging a comeback in Sunset Blvd, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation of the 1950 film by the same name.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 June 2025
Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a turn of events that Macchio, 63, possibly could have expected just a few years ago, when most of Hollywood had dismissed him as an Eighties has-been.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
The undaunted political has-been went on to found The Carter Center, which pioneered election monitoring and sent watchdogs to 81 elections in 33 countries.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Dec. 2024
Nicole Scherzinger, too, is undeniable, bringing astounding vocals and haunting desperation to vampiric Hollywood has-been Norma Desmond.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1976) and — as alcoholic, has-been singer John Norman Howard — for Barbra Streisand in the remake of A Star Is Born (1976).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2024
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
On June 8, Nicole Scherzinger, 46, won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond, a has-been staging a comeback in Sunset Blvd, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation of the 1950 film by the same name.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 June 2025
Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a turn of events that Macchio, 63, possibly could have expected just a few years ago, when most of Hollywood had dismissed him as an Eighties has-been.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
The undaunted political has-been went on to found The Carter Center, which pioneered election monitoring and sent watchdogs to 81 elections in 33 countries.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Dec. 2024
Nicole Scherzinger, too, is undeniable, bringing astounding vocals and haunting desperation to vampiric Hollywood has-been Norma Desmond.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1976) and — as alcoholic, has-been singer John Norman Howard — for Barbra Streisand in the remake of A Star Is Born (1976).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for has-been
Noun
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Today, Raptor Ranch offers up-close bird flight demonstrations, falconry classes and conservation education while preserving fan-favorite Bedrock City relics.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
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One shine survived the era, and although its origins are unclear, the relic ultimately arrived at Germany’s Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in 1932.—
Andrew Paul Jul 24,
Popular Science,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Boston’s ballpark was already a dinosaur when the Red Sox triumphed over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 early in the 1990 season.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
19 July 2025
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The dinosaur bone came to light in January during a drilling project to study the layers of rock underneath the site, the museum announced on July 9.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Has-been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/has-been. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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