ne'er-do-well

noun

: an idle worthless person
ne'er-do-well adjective

Examples of ne'er-do-well in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rickman's agent was flooded with offers, beseeching the actor to play more debonair ne'er-do-wells. Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ne'er-do-well.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ne'er-do-well was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near ne'er-do-well

Cite this Entry

“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ne'er-do-well

noun
ˈne(ə)r-du̇-ˌwel,
ˈna(ə)r-
: an idle worthless person
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!