do-gooder

American  

[doo-good-er, -good-] / ˈduˈgʊd ər, -ˌgʊd- /

noun

1. a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.

---

do-gooder British  

noun

1. informal a well-intentioned person, esp a naive or impractical one

---

Other Word Forms

• do-goodery noun
• do-gooding noun

Etymology

Origin of do-gooder

1925–30, do good + -er ¹

Example Sentences

His full head of hair, round-framed glasses and freshly sprouted mustache gives the Chicagoland native the look of a Depression-era do-gooder.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

One commentator said now that the "do-gooder" pandoro with pink icing sugar had been exposed as junk, Italians were wondering where that left "the princess of influencers as well as queen of social media".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2023

The descriptions of Bankman-Fried by the prosecution's three star witnesses contradict the 31-year-old former billionaire's pre-arrest reputation as a nerdy do-gooder who wanted to be a responsible actor in the rough-and-tumble crypto space.

From Reuters • Oct. 23, 2023

In this version, he has an insatiable desire to convince as many people as possible that he is a do-gooder with the best interests of his customers at mind.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2023

I’m not proud of it—I don’t normally speak to people in that manner, and especially women—but damned if I was going to let some busybody do-gooder foil my outing.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen