ne'er-do-well

noun

: an idle worthless person
ne'er-do-well adjective

Examples of ne'er-do-well in a Sentence

the local ne'er-do-wells seem to hang out on the street corners at all hours of the day and night
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In April, the company had to temporarily shut down service in Chicago when ne'er-do-wells managed to fraudulently rent and then steal 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles off the street. Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2019 Oct 10, 2024 Gulf Coast Reporter Chris Gray is Chron's Gulf Coast Reporter, covering tourism and tourists, energy and the environment, overachievers and ne'er-do-wells: compelling stories from across the upper Texas coast, but with a deep focus on Galveston's rich history and culture. Chris Gray, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024 Rickman's agent was flooded with offers, beseeching the actor to play more debonair ne'er-do-wells. Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ne'er-do-well was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near ne'er-do-well

Cite this Entry

“Ne'er-do-well.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ne%27er-do-well. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ne'er-do-well

noun
ˈne(ə)r-du̇-ˌwel,
ˈna(ə)r-
: an idle worthless person
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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