Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Offering no initiative for change, especially in politics.
  • noun An idle or lazy person.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who does nothing; an idler.
  • Doing no work; idle; indolent; inactive.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun person who does no work.
  • adjective prenominal Doing nothing; disinclined to work or exertion; inactive; idle; lazy; -- of people.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A lazy person.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun person who does no work
  • adjective characterized by inability or unwillingness to work toward a goal or assume responsibility

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Already on Thursday morning, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley went on the offensive against what he described as a do-nothing climate on Capitol Hill.

    Reuters: Press Release 2011

  • Obama than has more campaign ammo to attack what he calls the "do-nothing Congress."

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2012

  • Republicans are doubling down on a legislative agenda that resembles last year's efforts to shrink the size and scope of government, and Obama is prepared to exploit a lack of legislative accomplishments as he runs against a so-called "do-nothing" Congress.

    News - chicagotribune.com By Li 2012

  • Republicans are doubling down on a legislative agenda that resembles last year's efforts to shrink the size and scope of government, and Obama is prepared to exploit a lack of legislative accomplishments as he runs against a so-called "do-nothing" Congress.

    News - chicagotribune.com By Li 2012

  • In the 1952 midterms, which after all came just two years after the 1948 election, in which President Truman had his marvelous upset, railed against the do-nothing Republican Congress, brought Democrats back into power, just two years later in the middle of a really unpopular Korean War, Democrats thrown out again.

    'Vanity Fair' Writer: What Will Speaker Boehner Do? 2010

  • In the 1952 midterms, which after all came just two years after the 1948 election, in which President Truman had his marvelous upset, railed against the do-nothing Republican Congress, brought Democrats back into power, just two years later in the middle of a really unpopular Korean War, Democrats thrown out again.

    'Vanity Fair' Writer: What Will Speaker Boehner Do? 2010

  • The do-nothing Republicans (and let's not forget Sara Palin) are doing a good job of fostering fear in the American public over the national healthcare issue.

    Polls: Obama approval rating stands at 51 percent 2009

  • Two years later, voters reacted to a "do-nothing Congress" by tossing out 75 Republicans.

    Revival of Volatility Signals Historic Era in U.S. Politics Neil King Jr. 2010

  • I'm sick of these do-nothing Republicans criticizing instead of coming to the table or offering ideas of their own.

    America 'traumatized' by health-care debate, key Democrat says 2009

  • How carrying loaded firearms, calls of Naziism, shouting over questions _and_ answers make up the do-nothing GOP's response to reform?

    Barney Frank goes toe to toe at health care town hall 2009

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