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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of ne'er-do-well
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
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Useful for protecting your home from disaster or ne'er-do-wells.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Oct 10, 2024 Gulf Coast Reporter Chris Gray is Chron's Gulf Coast Reporter, covering tourism and tourists, energy and the environment, overachievers and ne'er-do-wells: compelling stories from across the upper Texas coast, but with a deep focus on Galveston's rich history and culture.
—Chris Gray, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024
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
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
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Useful for protecting your home from disaster or ne'er-do-wells.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Oct 10, 2024 Gulf Coast Reporter Chris Gray is Chron's Gulf Coast Reporter, covering tourism and tourists, energy and the environment, overachievers and ne'er-do-wells: compelling stories from across the upper Texas coast, but with a deep focus on Galveston's rich history and culture.
—Chris Gray, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024
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
-
But Richmond’s James River stretch also offers calm stretches of flat water near the city center that are ideal for a lazy river tube run.—
Terry Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
-
Then the release, the arrival, the return to self, and a lazy, funny sort of shyness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
For those caught unaware, the flies will also happily lay eggs in convenient openings such as the nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and even the bum, if available.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
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
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
Noun
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
If Iran can still open and shut the Strait at will or charge fees on it, does that mean this agreement is worthless?—
NBC news,
NBC news,
21 June 2026
-
That is compliance, and compliance is worthless in a transformation.—
Julie Averill,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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
-
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
-
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
-
This is going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s 10 years of farming around idle pump jacks and tabulating acres damaged by fluid leaks.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
-
Standard charging can slow things down if trucks have to sit idle for too long.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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