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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of no-good
Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Moving right along, Rufus (Michael Maggi), the no-good gambler who lost his wife, Salena’s, shares in the Blue faction, gets put to work by Berenice, Titus’s Judean queen-mistress-whatever.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 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
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
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
Please check all that apply: [ ] Vent about career/relationships/money/leak in ceiling that no-good landlord refuses to fix.
—Zoe Pearl, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
New York’s no-good, very bad property tax — the city’s single largest source of revenue, accounting for $4 of every $10 local government collects — just failed a test at the state’s highest court.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2024
Not about whether all of this is no-good, very bad news but about how, exactly, Trump and Trumpism are bad—how to put the man and the movement in historical context.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
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
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
Moving right along, Rufus (Michael Maggi), the no-good gambler who lost his wife, Salena’s, shares in the Blue faction, gets put to work by Berenice, Titus’s Judean queen-mistress-whatever.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 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
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
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
Please check all that apply: [ ] Vent about career/relationships/money/leak in ceiling that no-good landlord refuses to fix.
—Zoe Pearl, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
New York’s no-good, very bad property tax — the city’s single largest source of revenue, accounting for $4 of every $10 local government collects — just failed a test at the state’s highest court.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2024
Not about whether all of this is no-good, very bad news but about how, exactly, Trump and Trumpism are bad—how to put the man and the movement in historical context.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
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
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This makes any concessions congressional Democrats may be able to obtain from their Republican colleagues worthless.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
These pump-and-dump schemes artificially inflate stock prices, allowing the perpetrators to sell at a high price before the stock inevitably crashes, leaving investors with worthless shares.—
True Tamplin,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Quinn is such a mustache-twirling villain throughout that his interactions with Reacher feel overly cartoonish.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This was all done with a bum wrist, which posed as an inconvenience to him at times.—
Hannah Kirby,
Journal Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2024
-
Tommy, left to prosecute the case against Rusty, has inherited a bum gig.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
26 July 2024
Adjective
-
James River Virginia Flowing right through Richmond, the James River is an urban tubing experience with scenic views of the Richmond skyline and a mix of lazy sections and small rapids.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Some scammers are truly lazy, as was the case here, and don’t even try to obfuscate it.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The beggars, widows, and families with sick relatives who once made a pilgrimage to the gates of the parliament building in the Green Zone to beg lawmakers for help are now barred from entry.—
Ned Parker,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2012
-
All the beggars at the intersection of Lee Road and the off-ramp of I-4 are completely out of hand.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 July 2024
Noun
-
Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
-
Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-good. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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