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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

no-good no good

After another rough week, the bond market’s no-good September continued on Monday, with the Treasury market on the verge of booking one of its worst monthly showings in years.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2023

In “The Bandit Queens,” wives in rural India get the ultimate revenge on their no-good husbands.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023

Even Eric Roberts gets to shine in his few scenes as Nellie's no-good father.

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2022

Not because she wanted to lie about in bed, like no-good Aunt Helen did.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

If you agree that it is a superior long-term strategy, there’s no good reason to wait until Halloween to begin following it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

“There’s no good advice on this album,” she playfully reiterated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

While many have higher incomes, that’s no good reason to exclude them from a state program to give families more choice and better educational options.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Another year on the fringes would be no good for the man who was named player of the tournament when England Under-21s won the European Championship in 2025.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"It's no good to stay at the check stations," Oteg said.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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