ne'er-do-well

noun

ˈner-du̇-ˌwel 

: an idle worthless person

ne'er-do-well adjective

Synonyms

• bum
• derelict
• do-nothing
• good-for-nothing
• no-account
• no-good
• no-goodnik
• slacker
• vagrant

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ne'er-do-well

noun

ˈne(ə)r-du̇-ˌwel,

ˈna(ə)r-

: an idle worthless person