to seen better days
19
6.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
estar hecho polvo
- This painting has seen better days for sure.
Examples
-
The story is about a married couple who have seen better days in their relationship.
Blog text (26) -
Jack is aboard a starship that, by the looks of it, has seen better days.
Blog text (31) -
I have seen better days.
-
Although the structure still stands, it has seen better days.
Academic text (2012) -
Those boots have seen better days.
-
I was wearing a blue bathrobe that had seen better days.
Fiction book (1994) -
There's a schoolhouse that has seen better days.
-
She's certainly seen better days, that's for sure.
-
The bed-and-breakfast in Ethan Mien Street had seen better days.
Fiction book (1993) -
This painting has seen better days and desperately needs restoration.
Synonyms
20
3.1
An object too old or damaged from heavy use to be useful
18
6.2
A building that is very old and badly damaged because no one fixed it
9
6.6
A building or vehicle that is very old and in poor condition from lack of care
8
6.8
Looking or feeling tired and in poor condition after use
2
5.2
No longer at its best or in good condition
Used so much that it looks old or no longer works well
Antonyms
How Worn
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'seen' (experienced) with 'better days' (better times): it literally says the item has experienced better times, implying it is now in worse condition. This metaphorical but compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'ha visto días mejores'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the sense.
Etymology
Seen better days may come from the plain image of something that has seen better days, that is, it once had nicer times but is now worn. Imagine an old suitcase faded and torn after years of travel. That's why the phrase means 'to be in poor condition'.