NE'ER-DO-WELL Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

ne'er-do-well 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of ne'er-do-well

as in lazy

having no ambition, success, or value to society the ne'er-do-well denizens of a seedy bar near the docks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ne'er-do-well

2 of 2

noun

ˈner-du̇-ˌwel

as in bum

an idle worthless person the local ne'er-do-wells seem to hang out on the street corners at all hours of the day and night

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 ne'er-do-well

Noun

Though Stinky Pete turns out to be a ne'er-do-well, Jessie is a valuable new pal who reveals her own trauma from being donated by her kid. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 June 2026 After seeing the flare, the ne'er-do-wells steal Hunter's car instead of calling for help. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026 Who amongst us hasn't wanted to enjoy the spoils of a ne'er-do-well's criminal enterprises? — Chris Haslam, Wired News, 23 May 2025 Rickman's agent was flooded with offers, beseeching the actor to play more debonair ne'er-do-wells. — Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 May 2023 In April, the company had to temporarily shut down service in Chicago when ne'er-do-wells managed to fraudulently rent and then steal 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles off the street. — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ne'er-do-well

Adjective

Composed of 160 photographs taken across the past seven decades by 118 photographers, the show suggests the jobs, romances, family life, and lazy afternoons that could have been his.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
However, GitHub’s measures don’t require users to revoke any credentials left exposed in a repo, and some developers continue hard-coding, even though it’s considered both lazy development and exceptionally poor security.

— Alex Colon, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of lazy

Noun

Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.

— Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
The silhouette was heavily elongated, with three-quarter-length jackets and argyle knitwear that covered the bum.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of bum

Adjective

With Jun-hyeon trapped in a coma inside of Yong-ho’s older body, Yong-ho goes about seeking revenge on his good-for-nothing children, and ensuring the future of the Choiseong Group.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 July 2026
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

Definition of good-for-nothing

Noun

Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.

— Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
From feeding hobos on the back porch in the night in the Great Depression to marching against wars for oil in the Eighties and Nineties.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of hobo

Adjective

Matter is never worthless, but assigning it a price does not necessarily make its environmental and social costs disappear.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Fraud tools aren’t worthless, but too many merchants discover their limitations the hard way.

— Wayne Hamilton, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of worthless

Adjective

The question now is how the Giants can make the most of a bad, no-good situation.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
And with nary a golfer from the upstart tour within eight strokes of Round 2 leader Wyndham Clark at 7 under par, LIV’s no-good, very bad 2026 continued Friday.

— Matt Schubert, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Definition of no-good

Adjective

When haul trucks sit idle waiting to recharge, every minute of lost production directly erodes operating margins.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
His friends—these would have been the idle ladies of Moscow society, Countess Khomyakova and Princess Tuchkova and Countess Orlova and others in their circle.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of idle

Browse Nearby Words

ne'er

ne'er-do-well

ne'er-do-wells

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ne'er-do-well

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

outlandish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes