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• no-good
  no-good

  adjective

  lacking worth or merit; useless; bad.
• no good
  no good

  Unsatisfactory, inadequate; also, no use. For example, This work is no good; it'll have to be done over, or It's no good complaining since there's nothing we can do, or I tried to appeal to his sense of generosity, but it did no good. [Mid-1800s] Also see come to an end (to no good), def. 2; do any (no) good.

no-good

American  

[noh-good, noh-good] / ˈnoʊˈgʊd, ˈnoʊˌgʊd /

adjective

1. lacking worth or merit; useless; bad.

   This no-good faucet never did work properly. Her no-good brother sold me the car.

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noun

1. a person or thing that is worthless or undependable.

no good Idioms  

1. Unsatisfactory, inadequate; also, no use. For example, This work is no good; it'll have to be done over, or It's no good complaining since there's nothing we can do, or I tried to appeal to his sense of generosity, but it did no good. [Mid-1800s] Also see come to an end (to no good), def. 2; do any (no) good.

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Etymology

Origin of no-good

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

no-good no good

Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, when confronted by a reporter about Signalgate, claimed Goldberg was a no-good, low-down down mean old snake who’d do anything for fame.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2025

A no-good year: Why did the Denver quarterback Russell Wilson endure the worst season of his career?

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

Except she was wrong — because besides the totally, horrible, no-good, rotten ending — the show was PERFECT!

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2023

If you believe you are a terrible, no-good parent, you are not going to feel confident in your parenting skills and will be unmotivated to improve them.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2022

But Gladys always insisted Day would be a no-good husband.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Consumers are in a difficult spot with no good solution.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Alas, no good deed goes unprotested by a domestic special interest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He added the reason ivermectin was not part of conventional treatment was because there were "no good human trials...for use against cancer".

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

But as is so often the case in world affairs, there are no good guys in the story and you have to pick your poison.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

It did no good to turn a blind eye, turn up a nose, or wish the migrants away.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield