1
as in good-for-nothing
having no ambition, success, or value to society
tired of supporting their spendthrift, no-good daughter, who has yet to find a job commensurate with her alleged abilities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worthless
having no usefulness
that no-good chair should be thrown away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
neighbors remembered the killer as having been an utter no-good since childhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bum
an idle worthless person
we'll have to pay more than minimum wage for the job if we expect to get people other than no-goods
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of no-good
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
Released in 1958, Attack told of a wealthy heiress, fresh from a stint at a mental institution, who is turned into a giantess and then deals with her philandering husband and his no-good, money-grubbing floozy.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
That guy – the guy on whom the Bruins pinned the interim tag before Game 4 – was the breath of fresh air helping disguise the stench of an otherwise terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 30 Nov. 2025
But Skipper’s pulse was not in the on-the-field operations for the Bruins (0-3) and their no-good, very bad start to the 2025 season, a slumbering crash course that led to Foster’s firing Sunday.
—Benjamin Royer, Daily News, 17 Sep. 2025
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
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
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
The ordeal at Keystone gave me an up-close view of the no-good, very bad 2025-26 ski season.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
That guy – the guy on whom the Bruins pinned the interim tag before Game 4 – was the breath of fresh air helping disguise the stench of an otherwise terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 30 Nov. 2025
I'mPhaedra Trethan, the terrible no-good baseball fan who was too tired to stay awake for all 18 innings of Game 3 of the World Series.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
But, on another station, R. & B.’s turn toward pop signalled another sound for Black music: Monica and Brandy’s tug-of-war over some no-good boy who wasn’t worth the time anyway; Mya and early Destiny’s Child.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023
Craig Kilborn Then: The TV host stepped into the role of Mark, Nicole's no-good boyfriend who was both cheating on her and out to get Mitch.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
Adjective
The ordeal at Keystone gave me an up-close view of the no-good, very bad 2025-26 ski season.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
Released in 1958, Attack told of a wealthy heiress, fresh from a stint at a mental institution, who is turned into a giantess and then deals with her philandering husband and his no-good, money-grubbing floozy.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
That guy – the guy on whom the Bruins pinned the interim tag before Game 4 – was the breath of fresh air helping disguise the stench of an otherwise terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 30 Nov. 2025
But Skipper’s pulse was not in the on-the-field operations for the Bruins (0-3) and their no-good, very bad start to the 2025 season, a slumbering crash course that led to Foster’s firing Sunday.
—Benjamin Royer, Daily News, 17 Sep. 2025
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
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
Released in 1958, Attack told of a wealthy heiress, fresh from a stint at a mental institution, who is turned into a giantess and then deals with her philandering husband and his no-good, money-grubbing floozy.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
The ordeal at Keystone gave me an up-close view of the no-good, very bad 2025-26 ski season.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
That guy – the guy on whom the Bruins pinned the interim tag before Game 4 – was the breath of fresh air helping disguise the stench of an otherwise terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 30 Nov. 2025
I'mPhaedra Trethan, the terrible no-good baseball fan who was too tired to stay awake for all 18 innings of Game 3 of the World Series.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
But, on another station, R. & B.’s turn toward pop signalled another sound for Black music: Monica and Brandy’s tug-of-war over some no-good boy who wasn’t worth the time anyway; Mya and early Destiny’s Child.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023
Craig Kilborn Then: The TV host stepped into the role of Mark, Nicole's no-good boyfriend who was both cheating on her and out to get Mitch.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-good
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
Adjective
-
The gain from a call option would exceed the return on the stock alone, but involves greater risk than simply buying the stock because the contracts can expire worthless.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its soil in the mid-1990s, Russia provided a security guarantee that proved worthless.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Picking winners and losers, heroes and villains, pathways to success and failure, generates excitement for an event and manufactures a sense of urgency for maximal viewing pleasure.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
What the late Ka did to build resolve against the unforgiving brutalities of Brownsville, Marci combines with the flair of a Bond villain and contempt for anyone attempting to copy his mold.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Aspen, Colorado In 1989, when a five-star, ski-in, ski-out hotel called the Little Nell opened on the site of a ski-bum bar, Aspen left its counterculture hippie days in the dust and transitioned to an A-list playground.—
Amy Tara Koch,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This dreamy weather makes December through April the best time for spending lazy hours on some of Jamaica's best beaches.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2026
-
There are lazy ways to do this, and there are more robust ways to do so.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For much of his career, Skarsgård has gravitated toward characters who weaponize physical presence — Vikings, tech titans and mythic brutes whose power is immediately legible.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
-
As usual, Lang plays the brute’s Heart of Darkness–esque descent into madness with gleeful relish.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment, but officials there have broadly defended the department’s actions as not only justified but necessary for ensuring the rule of law and holding alleged criminals to account.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-good. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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