do-gooding
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of do-gooding
First recorded in 1935–40; do 1 ( def. ) + good ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the image of Bernstein as a wealthy, fatuously do-gooding liberal was irresistible to many.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
The Sith are the malevolent enemies of the do-gooding Jedi.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
Just as most fairy tales are derived from darker, grimmer backstories, however, bird feeding, also, isn’t entirely innocent do-gooding for our feathered friends.
From Slate ● Dec. 6, 2022
The cost of such theatrical do-gooding is sentimentality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2022
The show presents the points of view not only of the immigrants, who are trying to shape a home out of limbo, but of the do-gooding Britons who arrive in hopes of helping out.
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
