Synonyms of ne'er-do-wells

ne'er-do-wells

noun

plural of ne'er-do-well

as in bums

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

• bums
• beggars
• derelicts
• no-accounts
• hoboes
• no-goodniks
• dodgers
• slackers
• vagrants
• no-goods
• good-for-nothings
• drifters
• transients
• tramps
• urchins
• vagabonds
• roamers
• do-nothings
• shirkers
• panhandlers
• goldbricks
• sundowners
• waifs
• ragamuffins
• idlers
• loafers
• sluggards
• paupers
• indigents
• slugs
• gamines
• lazybones
• slouches
• drones
• down-and-outs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• successes
• winners

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ne'er-do-wells

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