good-fer-nothin'
A lazy, no-account person who won't pull their weight.
Also called good-for-nothing, good-fer-nuthin', no-count.
Updated September 21, 2026
good-fer-nothin' pronunciation
/GOOD-fer-NUH-thin/
Meaning
A hard slap of a name for somebody useless around the place. Won't work. Won't help. Ain't worth the groceries. Can stick on a broken tool or a dead truck too, but it cuts deepest aimed at a person. Southern mouths squeeze "for nothing" into "fer nothin'."
How folks use it
- “That good-fer-nothin' ain't lifted a finger since he got here.”
- “Don't marry a good-fer-nothin' just because he talks sweet.”
Origin and etymology
From the older English phrase "good for nothing," around since the 1600s. Southern and Appalachian speech slurred it into good-fer-nothin', the form you hear on porches and in old dialect writing. Same insult family as no-count and no-account.
Frequently asked questions
Can you call a thing good-fer-nothin'?
Yes. An old truck or a dull knife can wear the label. Using it on a person is the sharper insult.