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
DiCaprio makes a great, vital has-been, squinting at the horrors around him in disbelief, but mostly, driven by the need to protect his child.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
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
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
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for has-been
Noun
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Comets are among the most captivating wanderers of the solar system — icy relics from its earliest days that blaze across the sky with glowing tails and mysterious origins.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Investors and policymakers should brace for a world where 2% becomes a relic, not a reality.—
Bob Haber,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Internet users can't get enough of Rue's dinosaur-like appearance, leading to more than 1,700 comments on the viral TikTok post already.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
And 250 million years ago, extraordinary heat nearly killed off complex life in the high-CO2, end-Permian mass extinction known as the Great Dying, just before the rise of the dinosaurs.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Has-been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/has-been. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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