Meaning & use
ne'er-do-well
A person who habitually fails to work or behave responsibly; a good-for-nothing.
See it in a sentence
Her uncle was the family's ne'er-do-well, forever borrowing money and never repaying a cent.
The old ne'er-do-well spent his afternoons at the pub instead of looking for steady work.
A note on using this word
Ne'er-do-well is old-fashioned and slightly humorous rather than harshly insulting; it works well in storytelling or wry description.
Words with a similar meaning
good-for-nothinglayabout
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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