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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

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

Let me tell you something: The N.F.L. is another no-good entity.

From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2022

Sorkin aside, some queer performers came out okay, on some level, in the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year that was 2021.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2021

All he had done was to eat a wormy, no-good apple.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

"People can't afford your standard healthy food, which means people are eating quick, convenient food, which is no good for them," she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

I work from the tail toward the head until my plate holds just a frame, some skin, one or two fries I’m saving for no good reason.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

If a company really has no good investment case for spending money, then it should reward shareholders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

But in fairness to the state party, which had to create this process on the fly, Platner’s implosion left no good options.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026

Some of the meaner mice told him their mothers said Ralph was spoiled and selfish and would probably turn out to be no good when he grew up.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary