do-gooder

noun

do-good·​er ˈdü-ˌgu̇-dər How to pronounce do-gooder (audio)
: an earnest often naive humanitarian or reformer
do-gooding noun or adjective

Examples of do-gooder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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At the northwest corner of La Palma Park, three stone columns were connected by wooden planks that bore seals of the local chapters of do-gooder organizations like the Lions Club, Rotary International and the League of United Latin American Citizens. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025 By the time Roman Reigns entered the 32nd installment of WrestleMania, fans had long gotten bored of his stale do-gooder character work and the WWE’s laborious efforts to position him as its leading man. Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025 But a committee of do-gooders, with Victorian ideas about feminine purity, doubt that a young girl could have committed such a brutal act. Bailey Seybolt, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025 But there’s not so much of it that the department cannot devote half of its tiny force to investigating the theft of a few hundred bucks from the donation bowl at a charity event, hosted by Hank to burnish his own reputation as a do-gooder. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for do-gooder

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of do-gooder was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Do-gooder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-gooder. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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