1
as in slug
a lazy person
the new boss quickly figured out who the do-nothings were and fired them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bum
an idle worthless person
he indiscriminately dismisses the state legislators as a bunch of do-nothings who live at the taxpayers' expense
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of do-nothing
Instead, Trump should start castigating the do-nothing political elites who betrayed courageous Venezuelan defenders of democracy like López and Machado.
—
John Davenport, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty was sentenced today to one year in prison for his role in an elaborate scheme to funnel money to do-nothing subcontractors with ties to then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for Madigan’s influence on legislation in Springfield.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
About a dozen have visited or have plans to make stops in the early primary states, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, who in April caught attention for delivering a searing speech in New Hampshire aimed at 'do-nothing' Democrats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
That would have a power move for the do-nothing Heat. – Michael.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 June 2025
John Davenport, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty was sentenced today to one year in prison for his role in an elaborate scheme to funnel money to do-nothing subcontractors with ties to then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for Madigan’s influence on legislation in Springfield.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
About a dozen have visited or have plans to make stops in the early primary states, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, who in April caught attention for delivering a searing speech in New Hampshire aimed at 'do-nothing' Democrats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
That would have a power move for the do-nothing Heat. – Michael.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for do-nothing
Noun
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Coffee grounds are also often used to deter slugs and snails, reduce weeds without chemicals, and even repel neighborhood strays.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Garden snakes have important roles in your landscape, eating insects and invertebrates such as slugs and providing food for birds of prey such as hawks and owls.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The series’ script comes from Park Jae-bum, who is known for his work on Vincenzo and Good Doctor.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Netflix confirmed Wednesday in South Korea that production is underway on The Dealer, a new original series produced by Hwang and starring a high-profile cast led by Jung So-min, Ryoo Seung-bum and Lee Soo-hyuk.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One of Iran’s most recent threats came from Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a former senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, during the 12 Day War last year, threatening a drone strike against the president at Mar-a-Lago.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Jan. 2026
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The vastness was staggering (this is apparent in the drone shot of us in this Instagram post below, taken by our trip photographer James Roh).—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Coffee grounds are also often used to deter slugs and snails, reduce weeds without chemicals, and even repel neighborhood strays.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The stacked transporter will inch along at a careful snail’s pace of about 1 mile per hour, according to NASA.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Zoey’s deadbeat father, who left her as a baby to become a rock star, does not show up to do any sort of healing.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
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Andres was born in Cuba to a deadbeat alcoholic who beat him, according to his attorneys.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
20 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In fact, she was also seen wearing these kicks in New York back in May, pairing the sneakers her aforementioned Hammitt hobo bag with gunmetal grommets.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
21 Dec. 2025
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One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Do-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/do-nothing. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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