as in lazy
having no ambition, success, or value to society
the ne'er-do-well denizens of a seedy bar near the docks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bum
an idle worthless person
the local ne'er-do-wells seem to hang out on the street corners at all hours of the day and night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ne'er-do-well
Chris Haslam, Wired News, 23 May 2025
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Useful for protecting your home from disaster or ne'er-do-wells.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
In April, the company had to temporarily shut down service in Chicago when ne'er-do-wells managed to fraudulently rent and then steal 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles off the street.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2019
Oct 10, 2024 Gulf Coast Reporter Chris Gray is Chron's Gulf Coast Reporter, covering tourism and tourists, energy and the environment, overachievers and ne'er-do-wells: compelling stories from across the upper Texas coast, but with a deep focus on Galveston's rich history and culture.
—Chris Gray, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024
Rickman's agent was flooded with offers, beseeching the actor to play more debonair ne'er-do-wells.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 May 2023
Noun
Who amongst us hasn't wanted to enjoy the spoils of a ne'er-do-well's criminal enterprises?
—Chris Haslam, Wired News, 23 May 2025
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Useful for protecting your home from disaster or ne'er-do-wells.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
In April, the company had to temporarily shut down service in Chicago when ne'er-do-wells managed to fraudulently rent and then steal 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles off the street.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2019
Oct 10, 2024 Gulf Coast Reporter Chris Gray is Chron's Gulf Coast Reporter, covering tourism and tourists, energy and the environment, overachievers and ne'er-do-wells: compelling stories from across the upper Texas coast, but with a deep focus on Galveston's rich history and culture.
—Chris Gray, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024
Rickman's agent was flooded with offers, beseeching the actor to play more debonair ne'er-do-wells.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ne'er-do-well
Adjective
-
By the end of the summer, there will be another pool with a zero-entry layout, lazy river, and seven private cabanas.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
11 July 2025
-
And perhaps that is lazy script writing from the football gods.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 July 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
-
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
Noun
-
Extra hooks allow the bag to transform into a trapezoidal hobo shape.—
Joelle Diderich,
WWD,
19 Sep. 2024
-
There’s a lot to love about Coach’s viral shoulder bag: the modern hobo style, the soft leather, the distinct shape.—
Lindy Segal,
Glamour,
13 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
The incumbents protect the fort until the fort is worthless (cliche cf.—
Forrester,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Ready for a Vogue cover, a spot on 'ET,' more worthless performative nonsense.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
The Brewers were idle Thursday and trail the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs by two games in the loss column.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 July 2025
-
Many of these homes, which were badly needed due to the ongoing housing shortage across the country, are now sitting idle on the market because high mortgage rates and growing economic uncertainty are keeping buyers on the sidelines.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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