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
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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
-
Inevitability can make companies lazy, investors less disciplined and entire industries mistake hype for adoption.—
Hebron Sher,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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This is an off-duty look perfect for meeting up with friends, especially on lazy mornings.—
Kelsey Stiegman,
Glamour,
27 May 2026
Noun
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The Kings will inevitably be criticized for making a series of bad decisions and bum deals while Fox, Barnes and Brown grace the game’s grandest stage a year after being cast off under questionable circumstances.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
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The former great who played six seasons in Canada before a 17-year NFL career with the Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks and Chiefs once tried to rush back from a bum right ankle himself.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Radical approaches to what is precious and what is worthless—or appraisal—have always been more than the inversion of that which is useless made priceless, what was originally meant to be ephemeral made timeless.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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That essence of the girl who feels worthless and fears she’ll be found out by everyone still exists in Yasmin in Season 4.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Antinous later shocked the other suitors by insulting and assaulting with a footstool an elderly beggar who had spoken to him in the palace hall.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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David Lynch's projects, the TV series Twin Peaks and the 1984 film Dune, launched MacLachlan to stardom in the '80s, before landing the role as Fred and Barney's no-good boss Cliff Vandercave in The Flintstones.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
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This is going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Rent the Runway, now controlled by Story3 and Nexus Capital Management, is on the hunt for a permanent successor for Hyman, but is not sitting idle.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
3 June 2026
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The rescue operation inside the cave has been idle for several days due to the heavy monsoon rains hitting the country's Xaisomboun province, rescue officials said.—
Aicha El Hammar Castano,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Per usual with movies like this, spelling out the terror (the roots are in hobo codes and religious legend) becomes, regrettably, a shock absorber, not a facilitator.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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Schneider plays David, a reticent young man with the soulful-hobo air of a Beat poet, who makes a living as an events photographer but whose private passion is a secretive lifelong project, inherited from his father, documenting the changing Parisian suburbs.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Good-for-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/good-for-nothing. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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