as in lazy
having no ambition, success, or value to society
refused to leave anything in his will to his good-for-nothing grandchildren
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bum
an idle worthless person
teacher after teacher had predicted that he would never be more than a good-for-nothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of good-for-nothing
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 May 2024
Yet later this year up to 40 healthy Australian volunteers may begin receiving infusions of the supposedly good-for-nothing molecule.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 8 June 2023
In the film, directed by Taika Waititi, Hela comes back to Asgard seeking revenge and looking to kick everybody's ass, starting with her good-for-nothing brothers Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor (Hemsworth).
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2023
Adjective
The black comedy crime film is written by Niki Sheldrake and tells the story of Colin and Stanley, two good-for-nothing brothers who are faced with the repayment of their dead father’s debt to a notorious loan shark named Maggie.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 May 2024
Yet later this year up to 40 healthy Australian volunteers may begin receiving infusions of the supposedly good-for-nothing molecule.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 8 June 2023
In the film, directed by Taika Waititi, Hela comes back to Asgard seeking revenge and looking to kick everybody's ass, starting with her good-for-nothing brothers Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor (Hemsworth).
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for good-for-nothing
Adjective
-
White cast-iron chairs are perfectly positioned on a terrace to catch Stromboli’s volcanic smoke-show, and occasional fiery belch, in the distance over a lazy cocktail.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Suzy Welch, a best-selling author and professor of management practice at New York University, hit back against those who brand the young generation lazy by reminiscing on her career journey.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 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
Adjective
-
The gain from a call option would exceed the return on the stock alone, but involves greater risk than simply buying the stock because the contracts can expire worthless.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its soil in the mid-1990s, Russia provided a security guarantee that proved worthless.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This has been a terrible, horrible, no-good very-bad opening to the ski season here in Colorado, due to the balmy conditions and lack of snowfall.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
2 Dec. 2025
-
That guy – the guy on whom the Bruins pinned the interim tag before Game 4 – was the breath of fresh air helping disguise the stench of an otherwise terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
30 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Dumas has worked for Valero for four years but just moved to the Benicia location from Arizona a year ago, just a few months before the energy company announced a possible plan to cease or idle operations.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One such power line, the century-old Mesa-Sylmar, owned by SoCal Edison, had been idle for some fifty years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
“Good-for-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/good-for-nothing. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
