washed-up
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Doomed to extinction; having failed or been terminated: The primary meaning describes something or someone that is finished, no longer successful, or past their prime, often implying a decline from a previous state of relevance or popularity.
- Tired or exhausted: Can also describe a state of being physically or emotionally drained.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- After his third failed business, he felt completely washed-up. (This describes a person whose period of success is perceived to be over.)
- That singer's career is washed-up; she hasn't had a hit in ten years. (This describes a career that is no longer viable.)
- By the end of the 12-hour shift, the nurses were washed-up. (This uses the secondary meaning of being extremely tired.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a connotation of finality and public perception. It is frequently used in contexts like entertainment, sports, or business to describe a dramatic fall from grace.
- It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'is' or 'felt').
- Attributive: He was considered a washed-up actor.
- Predicative: The trend is completely washed-up.
Variants and Related Words
- Wash up (phrasal verb): Literally, to clean oneself or dishes. Figuratively, to arrive or end up somewhere, often by chance. /
- Has-been (noun): A person who is no longer famous or successful. This is a close synonym when used as a noun label for a person.
Synonyms
- Finished: No longer effective or successful.
- Obsolete: No longer produced or used; out of date.
- Done for: In a hopeless situation; doomed.
- Exhausted: Drained of strength or energy. (For the secondary meaning.)
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Wash out: To fail to complete or to be removed from a course or activity due to failure. (Note: This is related in concept of failure but is a distinct phrasal verb.)
Related Idioms
- Past one's prime: Having lost the abilities or qualities one had at one's best period. This is a more formal or gentle way to express a similar idea as "washed-up."
- On the skids: In a state of decline or failure.
Adjective
- doomed to extinction