do-gooder

American  

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

noun

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

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do-gooder British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• do-goodery noun
• do-gooding noun

Etymology

Origin of do-gooder

1925–30, do good + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Superman’s stymied do-gooder impulse feels right for an era where you can’t say “Save the whales” without some genius asking why you don’t care about plankton.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 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

“Not because I’m a do-gooder but because I’m a big giant wuss who no one wants to have around. So there, now you know.”

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman