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 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

When the discs degenerate, vertebrae lose the spongy buffer between bones, resulting in pain.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of degenerate

Adjective

The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of decayed

Adjective

The heat has caused a fall in nuclear generation, with power plants forced to shut down or reduce production across the region, while wind power generation has been weak over the summer.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
The state financial watchdog attributed the disbursement problems to administrative delays, weak project management, and late counterpart funding from the Congolese government.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of weak

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

Perhaps building on degraded land, sharing space with agriculture, and designing eco-friendly infrastructure.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, degraded working conditions—see, the adjunctification discourse—make academic professionalization less and less sustainable.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of degraded

Adjective

The gooey burst of yolk welcomes all guests to a wonderfully delicious and decadent meal.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
That includes lavish dinners with free-flowing booze, part of a decadent culture that Chinese leader Xi Jinping sees as a threat to the ruling Communist Party’s power and the country’s economic growth.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of decadent

Browse Nearby Words

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 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of washed-up

adjective

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