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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ne'er-do-well
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
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
Butler portrays the charming ne'er-do-well Hank, an East Village bartender who loves his mom, baseball and girlfriend Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
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
-
Having a big back refers to someone who's physically big, or who draws gentle teasing for hogging food or being lazy.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The best way to relax on a long flight or during a lazy Sunday, in my opinion, is in loungewear.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cora planned for his players to test the right fielder’s bum elbow — the Red Sox always attack pinstriped vulnerabilities on the basepaths — and sure enough Nick Sogard turned a single into a double in the seventh because Judge can’t throw the ball.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Among them are South Korean’s CIA Director (Ryoo Seung-bum) and the Japanese Deputy Minister of Transport (Takayuki Yamada).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
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
-
The former, in which Burnett and Hamilton did a song-and-dance routine as Dust Bowl-era hobos, marked the first of several times that the two performed together.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Rich earth tones lean into the season’s palette, while hobo shapes and mini shoulder bags feel especially of-the-moment.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The San Francisco 49ers are running themselves right out of games with all these worthless carries by Christian McCaffrey.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
But these glasses are worthless without a mobile phone.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Resnick speaks on behalf of seething, antisocial comedians everywhere, explaining and dismissing his quirks with lots of memories childhood, such as a horrible, no-good, very bad Easter egg hunt.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
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Watch my video discussion of these shows below: What were your least-favorite, no-good, terrible TV shows of 2024?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
25 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Brando, the owner of an atoll in Tahiti, where his family dwelled, had become the beggar of Hollywood, who had to feed on crumbs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The store’s lease runs for several more years and city officials do not want the building to sit idle.—
Steven Rosenfeld,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Part of a software update, advertisements will appear on certain refrigerator cover screens when the Family Hub fridge is idle.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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