no-account

[ noh-uh-kount ]

adjective

1. worthless; good-for-nothing; trifling.

noun

1. a worthless person; good-for-nothing.

no-account

adjective

1. worthless; good-for-nothing

noun

1. a worthless person

Word History and Origins

Origin of no-account¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

The black guy, Dell Scott, is a mouthy no-account, a convict on parole and a deadbeat dad way behind on his child-support payments.

From Seattle Times

“You must have been otherwise engaged. But who would expect any different from a no-account sheriff of a no-account town?”

From Literature

By early 2014, IS - which he and other fighters once mocked as a no-account outfit with paltry numbers - had driven rebel factions out of Raqqa.

From BBC

His mother split long ago and his no-account father doesn’t understand that the boy needs a functioning parent.

From Wall Street Journal

An essentially no-account human being who came along at the right time and place and found the right audience to turn him into a total hero.

From New York Times