no-good

1 of 2

adjective

: having no worth, virtue, use, or chance of success
a no-good scoundrel

no-good

2 of 2

noun

: a no-good person or thing

Examples of no-good in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
What a horrible, no-good, very bad, infuriating way to ruin Stannis as a character and to twist the events of these stories beyond recognition in such a grotesque manner. Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Feb. 2024 With Ethan Hawke's newbie simmering against the go-for-broke finesse of Denzel Washington's very bad, no-good officer, Training Day revels in tension, with washes of blue and green augmenting scenes where Hawke is bullied into getting high. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 The former is a cheeky rebuttal of Beantown due to a no-good ex, while the latter is a fiery rumination on a friendship with a woman that went up in flames. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019 The nation’s no-good back-to-school choices have left parents worried and solutions available only to some My younger son could not get used to attending first grade online. Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023 Elon Musk and EVs’ very bad, no-good October In Muskville, an abysmal Q3 earnings report knocked its icon off his ever-slipping tower. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023 After he’s cast off by his no-good owner Doug (Will Forte), a naive dog named Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) makes some new friends and embarks on a mission of revenge. Keith Phipps, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2023 The secret sauce of succeeding at statewide politics in West Virginia has always been in utilizing the two-handed method: With one hand, shake a fist at those no-good such and suches in Washington, D.C., who have done the good people of West Virginia so much wrong. Andrew Donaldson, Washington Examiner, 5 May 2023 Random thoughts —Another terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad game for Noah Syndergaard on Wednesday, losing to the lowly Washington Nationals. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023
Noun
But, on another station, R. & B.’s turn toward pop signalled another sound for Black music: Monica and Brandy’s tug-of-war over some no-good boy who wasn’t worth the time anyway; Mya and early Destiny’s Child. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023 Craig Kilborn Then: The TV host stepped into the role of Mark, Nicole's no-good boyfriend who was both cheating on her and out to get Mitch. Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'no-good.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1904, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of no-good was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near no-good

Cite this Entry

“No-good.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/no-good. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

no-good

adjective
ˌnō-ˌgu̇d
: having no worth, use, or chance of success
no-good
ˈnō-ˌgu̇d
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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