do-nothing

American  

[doo-nuhth-ing] / ˈduˌnʌθ ɪŋ /

noun

• do-nothings
  plural

1. a person who chooses to do nothing; a lazy or worthless person.

---

adjective

1. characterized by inability or unwillingness to initiate action, work toward a goal, assume responsibility, or the like.

   a do-nothing government.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• do-nothings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of do-nothing

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

do-nothing do-nothings

In the middle, it can be hard to shake the Dwight Schrute-esque caricature of a manager who was shunted into some do-nothing role where he can’t cause too much damage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

As much as Forrest is a know-nothing, except when it comes to knowing what love is, he’s also a do-nothing when it comes to acknowledging systemic wrongdoing.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2024

It is the sound of do-nothing summer afternoons in the pre-internet portion of my youth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2021

If anything, many inheritors are shaking off the stereotype of the do-nothing trust fund kid, said Dennis Jaffe, who consults with wealthy families and has collaborated with Dr. Grubman on research.

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2021

Your cousin is a man of business, and will probably have amassed a large fortune when my poor nephew will be a do-nothing old general on half-pay.

From Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope

And we tell the liars, deniers, and do-nothings to shove off: There’s no future in naysaying.

From The Guardian ● May 22, 2019

Winkler’s Gene Cousineau, a self-serious buffoon long used to being surrounded by weightless do-nothings, mistakes Barry’s confession for an improvised monologue.

From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2019

We associate loafing with people wasting their lives; with harried parents shaking their sleeping teenage children out of bed; with do-nothings, doing nothing.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 23, 2018

Sir: The world's two prize do-nothings have forced one of the world's doers to resign.

From Time Magazine Archive

And the owners were no drones or do-nothings, either.

From Faith Gartney's Girlhood by A. D. T. (Adeline Dutton Train) Whitney