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View synonyms for ne'er-do-well

ne'er-do-well

[ nair-doo-wel ]

noun

  1. an idle, worthless person; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; good-for-nothing.

    Synonyms: wastrel, loafer, idler



adjective

  1. worthless; ineffectual; good-for-nothing.

ne'er-do-well

noun

  1. an improvident, irresponsible, or lazy person


adjective

  1. useless; worthless

    your ne'er-do-well schemes

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ne'er-do-well1

First recorded in 1730–40

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Example Sentences

To be sure, the neer-do-well is very lively, very pushing, very enterprising in a tte--tte!

Bill Berry was a town neer-do-well, who more than once had aided Noddy in his schemes to make trouble for the motor boys.

On the other hand, the genuine criminal and also the drunken neer-do-well left no children.

If you dont count yourself of any importance, other people are mighty apt to pass you by as a neer-do-well.

A gambler probably; a neer-do-well certainly; and one to break his mothers heart in the end.

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gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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