: marked by inactivity or failure to make positive progress
Synonyms
Examples of do-nothing in a Sentence
Noun
the new boss quickly figured out who the do-nothings were and fired them
he indiscriminately dismisses the state legislators as a bunch of do-nothings who live at the taxpayers' expense
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
As for Xi’s refusal to do much in response to economic troubles in China, the view here is that his do-nothing stance reveals a level of sound economic knowledge that isn’t always evident in his critics.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Creative job crafting and simple nudges, such as encouraging do-nothing zone-out breaks, could help to alleviate the demands that modern workers experience that deplete their resources and block their recovery for feeling fresh and ready to engage with work the following day.
—Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
How many of those attacks are attributed to Harris’s do-nothing legislative agenda?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024
Black plays Malcolm, the latter's do-nothing, creative-type fiancé who can be seen scrambling down a long set of beach stairs in the wake of an embarrassing disclosure, or curating a destructive visual gag.
—Erik Adams, EW.com, 18 July 2023
Jackie Calmes: 2023 was the year of the do-nothing House Republicans.
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024
You drug pushers, hold-up men, and do-nothings . . .
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2023
In his view, Modi’s new design is a clever bid to present a do-nothing legislature to the public.
—Daniel Brook, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
Noun
The recent history — that is, the years since President Biden took office — haven’t exactly been do-nothing.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
As for Xi’s refusal to do much in response to economic troubles in China, the view here is that his do-nothing stance reveals a level of sound economic knowledge that isn’t always evident in his critics.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Creative job crafting and simple nudges, such as encouraging do-nothing zone-out breaks, could help to alleviate the demands that modern workers experience that deplete their resources and block their recovery for feeling fresh and ready to engage with work the following day.
—Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
How many of those attacks are attributed to Harris’s do-nothing legislative agenda?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024
Black plays Malcolm, the latter's do-nothing, creative-type fiancé who can be seen scrambling down a long set of beach stairs in the wake of an embarrassing disclosure, or curating a destructive visual gag.
—Erik Adams, EW.com, 18 July 2023
Jackie Calmes: 2023 was the year of the do-nothing House Republicans.
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024
You drug pushers, hold-up men, and do-nothings . . .
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2023
In his view, Modi’s new design is a clever bid to present a do-nothing legislature to the public.
—Daniel Brook, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'do-nothing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near do-nothing
Cite this Entry
“Do-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-nothing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share