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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of no-good
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 2 Dec. 2025
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
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
The new episode digs into Sofia's backstory via flashbacks: It's revealed that Sofia was framed for seven murders by her no-good dad (Mark Strong), and instead of taking over the family like her father promised, she's arrested and admitted to Arkham.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
Tied to a no-good husband, far from her family and friends back in Kentucky, Bonnie was miserable.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
To do that, Matty reinvents herself as an older lawyer whose dead no-good husband gambled away their money, forcing her to dust off her law degree to support herself and her teen grandson.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
This has been a terrible, horrible, no-good very-bad opening to the ski season here in Colorado, due to the balmy conditions and lack of snowfall.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 2 Dec. 2025
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
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
The new episode digs into Sofia's backstory via flashbacks: It's revealed that Sofia was framed for seven murders by her no-good dad (Mark Strong), and instead of taking over the family like her father promised, she's arrested and admitted to Arkham.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
Tied to a no-good husband, far from her family and friends back in Kentucky, Bonnie was miserable.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
To do that, Matty reinvents herself as an older lawyer whose dead no-good husband gambled away their money, forcing her to dust off her law degree to support herself and her teen grandson.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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
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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
-
This year’s furry green villain is more funny than scary, his behavior unthreatening, his confrontational manner with the Whos never feeling particularly dangerous.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The cast picture also included Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty and Jamie Campbell Bower, the latter who joined the cast in season 4 as the show's villain, Vecna.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Actress Jodie Foster was just photographed toting the perfect hands-free carryall—sort of like a hybrid, crossbody-bag-meets-bum-bag.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
-
And the oversized top has a split hem that falls below the bum.—
Melody Kazel,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Saturday morning appeared more like a lazy weekday morning at SMF — plenty of curbside pickup spaces and ticketing agents offering extra attention — than the frontline of a nationwide transportation crunch.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
It’s made with a soft, cozy knit, but the sleek silhouette keeps it from veering into lazy-day territory.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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
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In other court cases, some civil and some criminal, involving a total of nearly 300 additional hectares near Vlora, Shehu and his family members are accused of grabbing property through similar forgeries.—
Lindita Cela,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The trio has a surprisingly good theory about the implosion of the makeshift Astral Pulse; seems like Shroud never found the original, and someone has been outfitting low-level criminals with bootlegs that are going awry like Robert’s.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-good. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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