0 someone in a competition who is unlikely to do well or who has failed --
Some nifty gameplay mechanics and nasty enemies keep it from being an also-ran, while a little too much repetitive exploration and a short story keep it from being a contender.
He has actually turned into an also-ran.
To some an amateur means an incompetent or also-ran, and to others it means an idealist.
The station's ratings were very low, and it was considered as an also-ran in the market.
The team grew from a chronic also-ran in the late 1960s and early 1970s to a contender near the end of the decade.
Later reviews have relegated the film to an also-ran due to its cheesy production values with a reliance on stock footage.
Otherwise, like in this case, the eligibility of an also-ran was irrelevant.
Now he is an also-ran.
