do-gooder

See also: dogooder

English

Alternative forms

• dogooder

Etymology

do good +‎ -er

Noun

do-gooder (plural do-gooders)

1. (derogatory) One who advocates a certain course of action, often of political or social concern, and often with the naive conviction of their own moral superiority.

   Prohibition in the United States was an unsuccessful attempt by do-gooders to save people from the dangers of alcohol, whether they wanted to be saved or not.

   • 1979, Monty Python's Life of Brian, spoken by Ex-Leper (Michael Palin):

     I was hopping along, minding my own business. All of a sudden, up he comes, cures me. One minute I'm a leper with a trade, next minute my livelihood's gone. Not so much as a by-your-leave! “You're cured mate.” Bloody do-gooder.

Related terms

• do-goodism
• evildoer
• goo-goo
• welldoer

 

Translations

one who has a conviction of their own moral superiority

• Catalan: bonista (ca) m or f
• Czech: sluníčkář (cs) m, pravdoláskař (cs)
• Finnish: maailmanparantaja (fi)
• German: Gutmensch (de) m, Weltverbesserer (de) m, Weltverbesserin m
• Hungarian: jótét lélek
• Italian: buonista (it) m or f
• Maori: kaiauwaha
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: naiv idealist m

• Polish: dobroczyńca (pl) m
• Portuguese: cidadão de bem m
• Spanish: buenista m or f

See also

• bleeding heart
• moralist
• political correctness
• progressivist
• self-righteous
• social justice warrior