do-nothing

do-noth·ing

D d

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [doo nuhth-ing]
- /du ˈnʌθ ɪŋ/
- /duː ˈnʌθɪŋ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [doo nuhth-ing]
- /du ˈnʌθ ɪŋ/

Definitions of do-nothing word

noun do-nothing a person who chooses to do nothing; a lazy or worthless person. 1
adjective do-nothing characterized by inability or unwillingness to initiate action, work toward a goal, assume responsibility, or the like: a do-nothing government. 1
adjective do-nothing You can use do-nothing to describe people such as politicians who you think have failed to do something. 0
noun do-nothing a person without ambition or initiative; idler 0
adjective do-nothing showing no ambition or initiative; complacent 0
noun do-nothing A lazy person. 0

See all 6 definitions of do-nothing

Information block about the term

Origin of do-nothing

First appearance:

before 1570

One of the 33% oldest English words

First recorded in 1570-80

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Do-nothing

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Do-nothing

do-nothing popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data most of word are more popular. This word is almost not used. It has a much more popular synonym.

Synonyms for do-nothing

noun do-nothing

layabout — a lazy or idle person; loafer.
malingerer — to pretend illness, especially in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.
loafer — a person who loafs; lazy person; idler.
deadbeat — If you refer to someone as a deadbeat, you are criticizing them because you think they are lazy and do not want to be part of ordinary society.
sloth — habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness.

All 18 Synonyms of do-nothing