1
as in good-for-nothing
having no ambition, success, or value to society
tired of supporting their spendthrift, no-good daughter, who has yet to find a job commensurate with her alleged abilities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worthless
having no usefulness
that no-good chair should be thrown away
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
neighbors remembered the killer as having been an utter no-good since childhood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bum
an idle worthless person
we'll have to pay more than minimum wage for the job if we expect to get people other than no-goods
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of no-good
Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Moving right along, Rufus (Michael Maggi), the no-good gambler who lost his wife, Salena’s, shares in the Blue faction, gets put to work by Berenice, Titus’s Judean queen-mistress-whatever.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
The new episode digs into Sofia's backstory via flashbacks: It's revealed that Sofia was framed for seven murders by her no-good dad (Mark Strong), and instead of taking over the family like her father promised, she's arrested and admitted to Arkham.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
To do that, Matty reinvents herself as an older lawyer whose dead no-good husband gambled away their money, forcing her to dust off her law degree to support herself and her teen grandson.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Tied to a no-good husband, far from her family and friends back in Kentucky, Bonnie was miserable.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Please check all that apply: [ ] Vent about career/relationships/money/leak in ceiling that no-good landlord refuses to fix.
—Zoe Pearl, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
New York’s no-good, very bad property tax — the city’s single largest source of revenue, accounting for $4 of every $10 local government collects — just failed a test at the state’s highest court.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2024
Not about whether all of this is no-good, very bad news but about how, exactly, Trump and Trumpism are bad—how to put the man and the movement in historical context.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023
Craig Kilborn Then: The TV host stepped into the role of Mark, Nicole's no-good boyfriend who was both cheating on her and out to get Mitch.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
Adjective
Watch my video discussion of these shows below: What were your least-favorite, no-good, terrible TV shows of 2024?
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Moving right along, Rufus (Michael Maggi), the no-good gambler who lost his wife, Salena’s, shares in the Blue faction, gets put to work by Berenice, Titus’s Judean queen-mistress-whatever.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
The new episode digs into Sofia's backstory via flashbacks: It's revealed that Sofia was framed for seven murders by her no-good dad (Mark Strong), and instead of taking over the family like her father promised, she's arrested and admitted to Arkham.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
To do that, Matty reinvents herself as an older lawyer whose dead no-good husband gambled away their money, forcing her to dust off her law degree to support herself and her teen grandson.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Tied to a no-good husband, far from her family and friends back in Kentucky, Bonnie was miserable.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Please check all that apply: [ ] Vent about career/relationships/money/leak in ceiling that no-good landlord refuses to fix.
—Zoe Pearl, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
New York’s no-good, very bad property tax — the city’s single largest source of revenue, accounting for $4 of every $10 local government collects — just failed a test at the state’s highest court.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2024
Not about whether all of this is no-good, very bad news but about how, exactly, Trump and Trumpism are bad—how to put the man and the movement in historical context.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
But, on another station, R. & B.’s turn toward pop signalled another sound for Black music: Monica and Brandy’s tug-of-war over some no-good boy who wasn’t worth the time anyway; Mya and early Destiny’s Child.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023
Craig Kilborn Then: The TV host stepped into the role of Mark, Nicole's no-good boyfriend who was both cheating on her and out to get Mitch.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-good
Adjective
-
The black comedy crime film is written by Niki Sheldrake and tells the story of Colin and Stanley, two good-for-nothing brothers who are faced with the repayment of their dead father’s debt to a notorious loan shark named Maggie.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 May 2024
-
Yet later this year up to 40 healthy Australian volunteers may begin receiving infusions of the supposedly good-for-nothing molecule.—
ByMitch Leslie,
science.org,
8 June 2023
Adjective
-
The problem with these groups is that not only are you being sold something that is probably close to worthless, but by not dealing directly with an attorney there is no attorney-client privilege which protects the communications between these groups and their clients.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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In a political and social climate ripe with fear and uncertainty, survival can feel like a worthless pursuit, but Black history teaches us how to live in liminality — to embrace the unknown, the in-between, the transitional.—
Mathew Holloway,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.—
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
-
There are spells, curses, vendettas, a twist villain, giant dragons who turn into humanoid warriors and many other creatures populating the world of this gargantuan feat of eye-popping computer animation.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This was all done with a bum wrist, which posed as an inconvenience to him at times.—
Hannah Kirby,
Journal Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2024
-
Tommy, left to prosecute the case against Rusty, has inherited a bum gig.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
26 July 2024
Adjective
-
There is also a great bar hidden along the hotel’s lazy river pool, which is a big hit with kids, but adults will love the bar.—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Many people assume that kids in Passenger Mode are lazy.—
Jenny Anderson,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
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The same Cromwellian brutes that persecuted witches in the English village of Warboys in 1589 are alive and well today to bully LGBTQ folks, immigrants, physicians trying to save lives of pregnant women and even scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The beggars, widows, and families with sick relatives who once made a pilgrimage to the gates of the parliament building in the Green Zone to beg lawmakers for help are now barred from entry.—
Ned Parker,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2012
-
All the beggars at the intersection of Lee Road and the off-ramp of I-4 are completely out of hand.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 July 2024
Noun
-
Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
-
Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-good. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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