do-gooder

noun

do-good·​er ˈdü-ˌgu̇-dər How to pronounce do-gooder (audio)
: an earnest often naive humanitarian or reformer
do-gooding noun or adjective

Examples of do-gooder in a Sentence

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.
He was later married to Patricia Rahman from 2011 to 2021. 09 of 12 Marc Blucas (Riley Finn) Riley Finn, the sensitive do-gooder who romanced Buffy in seasons 4 and 5, was no one's favorite character. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025 While a special minority of people are always tuned into this — Buddhist monks, say, or extreme do-gooders — most of us only see reality this way when tragedy strikes. Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025 The Little Maria controversy did no favors for human-rights activists, either, whom the government liked to paint as feckless—or even as smugglers masquerading as do-gooders. Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 But there’s not so much of it that the department cannot devote half of its tiny force to investigating the theft of a few hundred bucks from the donation bowl at a charity event, hosted by Hank to burnish his own reputation as a do-gooder. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for do-gooder

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of do-gooder was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Do-gooder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-gooder. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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