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ne'er-do-well

[ nair-doo-wel ]
/ ˈnɛər duˌwɛl /
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See synonyms for ne'er-do-well on Thesaurus.com
noun
an idle, worthless person; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; good-for-nothing.
adjective
worthless; ineffectual; good-for-nothing.
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Origin of ne'er-do-well

First recorded in 1730–40

Words nearby ne'er-do-well

Neenah, neencephalon, neep, ne'er, Ne'erday, ne'er-do-well, NEET, nef, nefarious, Nefertem, Nefertiti
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to ne'er-do-well

idler, incompetent, loafer, loser, wastrel, shiftless, worthless

How to use ne'er-do-well in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ne'er-do-well

ne'er-do-well
noun
an improvident, irresponsible, or lazy person
adjective
useless; worthlessyour ne'er-do-well schemes
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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