Thesaurus results for WASHED-UP

washed-up

adjective

ˈwȯsht-ˈəp

Definition of washed-up

as in degenerate

having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit he felt rather washed-up after this latest business failure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Over the decades, the unassuming, borderline satirical roadside bar became a local landmark, attracting everyone from blue-collar workers and washed-up musicians to artists, retirees, bikers, and those who stop in simply to see what’s in a name. — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026 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

In Parkinson’s disease, neurons producing a chemical messenger called dopamine degenerate, and the dopamine itself cannot cross from the bloodstream into the brain.

— Mallory Green, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
When the discs degenerate, vertebrae lose the spongy buffer between bones, resulting in pain.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of degenerate

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

Definition of overripe

Adjective

Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Initially, Pike’s attorneys and several death penalty experts raised the possibility that the drugs may have been too old or degraded to work as intended.

— Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of degraded

Adjective

The Ramos Gin Fizz thrives as the last extant representative of the category, like Macy’s Herald Square or modern day Vienna, a decadent and baroque monument to a once-vast empire.

— Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026
Swirls of caramel, cream, and espresso brown give classic tips a deliciously decadent upgrade, no barista required.

— Amanda Le, InStyle, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of decadent

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washed (over)

washed-up

washes

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“Washed-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/washed-up. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of washed-up

adjective

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