: having no worth, virtue, use, or chance of success
a no-good scoundrel
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
Examples of no-good in a Sentence
Adjective
tired of supporting their spendthrift, no-good daughter, who has yet to find a job commensurate with her alleged abilities
that no-good chair should be thrown away
Noun
neighbors remembered the killer as having been an utter no-good since childhood
we'll have to pay more than minimum wage for the job if we expect to get people other than no-goods
Recent Examples on the Web
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
What a horrible, no-good, very bad, infuriating way to ruin Stannis as a character and to twist the events of these stories beyond recognition in such a grotesque manner.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Feb. 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
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.
Adjective
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
What a horrible, no-good, very bad, infuriating way to ruin Stannis as a character and to twist the events of these stories beyond recognition in such a grotesque manner.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Feb. 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
Dictionary Entries Near no-good
Cite this Entry
“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/no-good. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share