good-for-nothing
UK[ˌɡʊd fə ˈnʌθɪŋ]US[ˌɡʊd fər ˈnʌθɪŋ]
adj
(of a person) lazy and worthless; having no useful qualities.
n
a lazy and worthless person.
Morpheme Breakdown
good
for
nothing
good
virtuous, desirable
for
with the purpose of, intended to be used in
nothing
not anything, no single thing
Etymology
The compound "good-for-nothing" is a straightforward English phrase that evolved into a fixed hyphenated descriptor. Its logic is transparently ironic: something or someone that is "good for nothing" possesses no utility or merit. The phrase follows a classic English pattern of creating adjectives and nouns from prepositional phrases, similar to "hard-of-hearing" or "stick-in-the-mud." Its journey from a literal descriptive phrase to a standardized term for a worthless individual showcases the language's ability to lexicalize common expressions, solidifying their meaning and grammatical function.
Analysis
Structure: good + for + nothing
- good: Old English origin, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz. Functional role: Adjective meaning 'virtuous, desirable'.
- for: Old English origin, from Proto-Germanic furi. Functional role: Preposition meaning 'with the purpose of, intended to be used in'.
- nothing: Old English origin, from nān (no) + þing (thing). Functional role: Noun meaning 'not anything, no single thing'.
Examples
He was dismissed as a lazy, good-for-nothing layabout.
She grew tired of her good-for-nothing brother who never helped around the house.
The old shed was full of good-for-nothing junk that needed to be thrown away.