no-good
[ adjective noh-goo d; noun noh-goo d ]
/ adjective ˈnoʊˈgʊd; noun ˈnoʊˌgʊd /
adjective
lacking worth or merit; useless; bad: This no-good faucet never did work properly. Her no-good brother sold me the car.
noun
a person or thing that is worthless or undependable.
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“Not Good” vs. “No Good”: When To Use Them BothHere’s something that’s good to know: No good means something has no use or value, and has no potential of becoming good. Not good means something is bad or undesirable. The correct way to use them isn’t that clear cut. At times, there’s no difference, and they can be used interchangeably. No Good When good is used as a noun, no can quantify or modify …
RELATED WORDS
abandoned, abject, barren, base, bogus, cheap, contemptible, despicable, empty, futile, good-for-nothing, ignoble, inconsequential, ineffective, ineffectual, inferior, insignificant, inutile, meaningless, mediocre
Nearby words
- no-fault insurance,
- no-fly zone,
- no-frills,
- no-go,
- no-go area,
- no-goodnik,
- no-growth,
- no-hit,
- no-hitter,
- no-hoper
Origin of no-good
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for no-good
no-good
1908, from phrase no good "good for nothing." As a noun, first recorded 1924; variant no-goodnik (see -nik) first attested 1960.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper