gone to seed
Past its prime
Gone to seed describes plants that have flowered and produced seeds, passing their prime for harvest or appearance.
The phrase extends to people or things that have deteriorated from neglect or age: The old resort had gone to seed, with peeling paint and overgrown gardens.
A person gone to seed has let themselves decline physically: He'd really gone to seed since retiring—unshaven, overweight, rarely leaving the house.
- fadedLost original color
- past its primeBeyond peak condition
- dilapidatedRuined through neglect
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- run downDeteriorated through neglect
dry · decrepit · decay · worse for wear · worn · spent · seen better days · deteriorated · outdated · wilt · dried up · obsolete · bygone · bedraggled · shrivel · forlorn · let go · stagnant
- overgrownovergrown, tangled, weedy, wild, unkempt
- gardening termsgrowing, blooming, wilting, pruning, grafting
- farm idiomsmake hay while the sun shines, cream of the crop, put the cart before the horse, till the cows come home, buy the farm
gone to seedpristine
Pure and untouched
well-maintained · well-kept · immaculate · spick and span · mint condition
gone to seedfit
Proper or healthy
well-groomed · in shape · trim · put-together · well-turned-out
gone, goes, going, seed, seeds, seeded, seeding, seedling, seedlings