English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

ne'er-do-well (plural ne'er-do-wells)

A person without a means of support; an idle, worthless person; a loafer; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; a good-for-nothing. 1933 , The Commonweal (volume 19, page 241) So they have trooped forth to organize village down-and-outs and ne'er-do-wells into would-be combat units.

, (volume 19, page 241) 2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds, part 1, chapter 1, 26: Clara's father, a trollish ne'er-do-well who spent most of his time in brothels and saloons, would disappear for days and weeks at a stretch, leaving Clara and her mother to fend for themselves. A person who is up to no good; a rogue.

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