do-nothing
[doo-nuhth-ing]
- a person who chooses to do nothing; a lazy or worthless person.
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- characterized by inability or unwillingness to initiate action, work toward a goal, assume responsibility, or the like: a do-nothing government.
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Origin of do-nothing
First recorded in 1570–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
layaboutmalingererloaferdeadbeatslothlazybonesgood-for-nothinglaggardmoocheridlerbumslackershirkerspongergoof-offloungerExamples from the Web for do-nothing
Contemporary Examples
At this point any long-term congressional incumbent like Lewis should answer for the do-nothing House.
So why did the short, do-nothing opinions in the UT case take over eight months to write?
Confronting the legacy of the Do-Nothing 112th Congress as the least effective since the 1940s is also a corrective.
Remember when the big idea in Obamaland was to run against the do-nothing Congress?
The president once planned to run against the do-nothing Congress.
Historical Examples
The Do-Nothing school has almost enough truth on its side to be right.
College TeachingPaul Klapper
A do-nothing life is a mistake, and only fit for a pet dog, and him it kills.
Devon BoysGeorge Manville Fenn
For years she was a very sick woman, a victim of do-nothing ailments.
Civics and HealthWilliam H. Allen
Malthus was not a thoroughgoing supporter of the 'do-nothing' doctrine.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3)Leslie Stephen
Has any one a suggestion to make as to the first adventure of the Do-Nothing Club?