no-good 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnō-ˈgu̇d How to pronounce no-good (audio)
Definition of no-goodnext
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

no-good

2 of 2

noun

ˈnō-ˌgu̇d How to pronounce no-good (audio)
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of no-good
Adjective
Archie has a no-good, very-bad day, and Dylan goes to bat for her students. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 16 Mar. 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
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 See All Example Sentences for no-good
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-good
  1. good-for-nothing
  2. worthless
  3. villain
  4. bum
  5. lazy
  6. brute
  7. beggar
  8. criminal
Adjective
  • With Jun-hyeon trapped in a coma inside of Yong-ho’s older body, Yong-ho goes about seeking revenge on his good-for-nothing children, and ensuring the future of the Choiseong Group.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of good-for-nothing
Adjective
  • Inflation has reached absurd heights, the Lebanese pound is all but worthless, and the government shuts off the electricity for more than half of each day.
    — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Therefore, at current depletion rates, most of Venezuela’s oil reserves are worthless.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of worthless
Noun
  • There are no villains in Possible Love; there are only people who are aware of others, and people who are not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The former Democratic speaker was the longtime villain, a mainstay in ads as Republicans linked Democratic candidates to her to paint them as radical and out of touch.
    — James A. Downs, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Cocktail chatter on the Lido held that this was a more minor work than anticipated, and many of those positive reviews nevertheless included a few bum notes.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Kennedy’s Albany is a vital, violent place, a hothouse of gangsters, pool hustlers, bums, crooked politicians, and showgirls.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bum
Adjective
  • People get lazy, reusing passwords or pseudonyms or crypto wallets.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • As the lazy days of summer fade and little ones return to school, autumn invites an air of academia.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of lazy
Noun
  • Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • Robert Pattinson’s big outburst in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ has gone viral—here’s the ‘beggars’ meme, explained.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Antinous shocked even the other suitors by insulting and assaulting an elderly beggar; when the beggar revealed himself as Odysseus and slew the suitors, Antinous was the first to die.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
Definition of beggar
Noun
  • Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

noggins
no-good
no-goodnik
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-good. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All