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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

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

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

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

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Consumers are in a difficult spot with no good solution.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 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

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

“I’ve tried to figure this thing out for thirty-some years. I’m no good with puzzles. I leave that up to you three.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein