do-nothings

noun

plural of do-nothing
1
as in slugs
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 bums
an idle worthless person he indiscriminately dismisses the state legislators as a bunch of do-nothings who live at the taxpayers' expense

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for do-nothings
  1. slugs
  2. bums
  3. drones
  4. derelicts
  5. snails
  6. beggars
  7. deadbeats
  8. hoboes
Noun
  • Larger pests, like slugs, are best controlled with hand-picking or by companion planting petunias with plants that naturally deter pests.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 14 July 2026
  • There are over 2,000 species of terrestrial and marine slugs (including nudibranchs, sea hares, and the out-of-this-world Elysia chlorotica).
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
Definition of slugs
Noun
  • The Coliseum stayed in business for 500 years, bums in seats twice a week, watching people hack each other to death.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • History buffs, avid hikers, music lovers, wine aficionados, and beach bums will all find a town to love in the Old Dominion.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
Definition of bums
Noun
  • Russia last week banned diesel exports after Ukrainian drones continued to bombard Russian refineries.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • The Ukrainian videos showing the strikes from the drones’ perspective typically cut off at the moment of impact.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
Definition of drones
Noun
  • Rational fears or no, the fact remains that the 24 acres of Bayfront Park belong right now to a few misfits and derelicts.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of derelicts
Noun
  • The effect has been especially damaging on corals, oysters, and free-swimming snails and slugs.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 July 2026
  • You are steered through an astonishing limestone canyon, crossing turquoise water where only tiny snails and blind shrimp are capable of living.
    — James Rampton, TheWeek, 9 July 2026
Definition of snails
Noun
  • Gobert was chief among the beggars imploring his teammates for a shred of consistency on that end of the floor.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Apr. 2026
  • In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Definition of beggars
Noun
  • Housing prices and rents are inflated by restrictive zoning laws, union work and pay scale mandates, excessive building codes and environmental requirements, litigation and planning process delays, anti-landlord policies that favor deadbeats and squatters, and the list goes on.
    — Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Housing prices and rents are inflated by restrictive zoning laws, union work and pay scale mandates, excessive building codes and environmental requirements, litigation and planning process delays, anti-landlord policies that favor deadbeats and squatters, and the list goes on.
    — Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Definition of deadbeats
Noun
  • The former, in which Burnett and Hamilton did a song-and-dance routine as Dust Bowl-era hobos, marked the first of several times that the two performed together.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • From oversized, slouchy hobos to structured East-West silhouettes and laptop-ready work totes, this season’s best suede bags deliver a luxurious polish that will elevate every fall wardrobe.
    — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of hoboes
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

do-nothing
do-nothings
Don Quixote
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Cite this Entry

“Do-nothings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/do-nothings. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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