has-been
/ˈhæz biːn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhæz bɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhaz-ˌbin -ˌben chiefly British -ˌbēn/ (ame, mw)
has-been — noun
1. a person whose past fame, success, or popularity has faded, and who is now widel
a person whose past fame, success, or popularity has faded, and who is now widely seen as no longer important or relevant
Twenty years after his last championship, fans called the former boxer a has-been.
call [someone] + a has-been
Nora Chen laughed off the magazine article that labelled her a has-been.
Diego refused to accept that his music career was over and he had become a has-been.
After the hit TV show ended, the young star worried she would be seen as a has-been.
Kwame surprised everyone by launching a successful new business at an age when most people would call him a has-been.
- washed-up person
more informal and harsher, suggesting total failure rather than just faded fame
- former star
more neutral and factual; lacks the dismissive tone of 'has-been'
- ghost of one's former self
more figurative and literary; emphasises decline rather than public loss of status
- rising star
someone whose fame or success is still growing
- up-and-comer
informal term for someone on the way up, the opposite of someone on the way down
文法句型
dismiss/label/call someone + a has-been
用法筆記
Frequently used in a dismissive or mocking tone, especially in the contexts of entertainment, sports, and politics. The word is almost always applied to people rather than things.