do-gooder

noun

do-good·​er ˈdü-ˌgu̇-dər 

: an earnest often naive humanitarian or reformer

do-gooding

ˈdü-ˌgu̇-diŋ 

noun or adjective

Examples of do-gooder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After a disastrous incident turns the public against superheroes, the government creates a superhuman registration act that causes a deep rift among Avengers and other do-gooders along ideological lines. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Their Tom and Jerry are each rescued by do-gooders who eventually fall in love. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 22 June 2026

Then one of the crew met a man named Chris, a do-gooder in the community who lost his home to an electrical fire last year. — Amy Eskind, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026

Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above