GOOD-FOR-NOTHING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

good-for-nothing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈgu̇d-fər-ˌnə-thiŋ

Definition of good-for-nothing

as in lazy

having no ambition, success, or value to society refused to leave anything in his will to his good-for-nothing grandchildren

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

good-for-nothing

2 of 2

noun

as in bum

an idle worthless person teacher after teacher had predicted that he would never be more than a good-for-nothing

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 good-for-nothing

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 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 In the film, directed by Taika Waititi, Hela comes back to Asgard seeking revenge and looking to kick everybody's ass, starting with her good-for-nothing brothers Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor (Hemsworth). — Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for good-for-nothing

Adjective

Composed of 160 photographs taken across the past seven decades by 118 photographers, the show suggests the jobs, romances, family life, and lazy afternoons that could have been his.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
However, GitHub’s measures don’t require users to revoke any credentials left exposed in a repo, and some developers continue hard-coding, even though it’s considered both lazy development and exceptionally poor security.

— Alex Colon, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of lazy

Noun

Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.

— Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
The silhouette was heavily elongated, with three-quarter-length jackets and argyle knitwear that covered the bum.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of bum

Adjective

Celebrated as masterpieces today, at the time they were regarded as the unpolished works of a depressed, crazy man and commercially worthless.

— Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
But a few years back, collectors were paying up to tens of millions for now-worthless NFTs, so the value of anything in the art collectibles world is arguably whatever somebody is willing to pay.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of worthless

Adjective

The question now is how the Giants can make the most of a bad, no-good situation.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
And with nary a golfer from the upstart tour within eight strokes of Round 2 leader Wyndham Clark at 7 under par, LIV’s no-good, very bad 2026 continued Friday.

— Matt Schubert, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Definition of no-good

Noun

Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.

— Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
From feeding hobos on the back porch in the night in the Great Depression to marching against wars for oil in the Eighties and Nineties.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of hobo

Adjective

When haul trucks sit idle waiting to recharge, every minute of lost production directly erodes operating margins.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
His friends—these would have been the idle ladies of Moscow society, Countess Khomyakova and Princess Tuchkova and Countess Orlova and others in their circle.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of idle

Browse Nearby Words

good-fellowship

good-for-nothing

good-for-nothings

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Good-for-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/good-for-nothing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of good-for-nothing

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes