Definition

Noun: A person who is actively and often naively or self-righteously devoted to promoting human welfare and social reforms, sometimes with the implication that their efforts are impractical or intrusive.

Usage

The term "do-gooder" is used to describe someone who engages in charitable or reformist activities. It often carries a critical or pejorative tone, suggesting the person is idealistic, moralistic, or meddlesome, rather than genuinely effective. It is typically used in informal contexts.

Examples

• She was dismissed as a naive do-gooder who didn't understand the complexities of the economic system.
• The new policies were criticized as the work of do-gooders with no real-world business experience.
• He volunteers at the shelter not out of a desire to be a do-gooder, but from a genuine sense of community.

Advanced Usage

• "Bleeding-heart do-gooder": An intensified, more derogatory phrase emphasizing perceived excessive sentimentality and impractical idealism.
  • He was labeled a bleeding-heart do-gooder for his proposals to increase social spending.

Variants and Related Words

• Do-gooding (noun): The actions or philosophy characteristic of a do-gooder.
  • His relentless do-gooding often annoyed his more cynical colleagues.
• Do-goodism (noun): The principles or practices of do-gooders.
  • The article was a critique of modern do-goodism.

Synonyms

• Reformer: (More neutral) A person who advocates or works for change and improvement.
• Philanthropist: (Positive) A person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by donating money.
• Idealist: (Can be neutral or critical) A person guided by ideals, especially unrealistically.
• Bleeding heart: (Informal, critical) A person considered excessively soft-hearted or sentimental.

Antonyms

• Cynic: A person who believes people are motivated purely by self-interest.
• Realist: A person who accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it accordingly.
• Pragmatist: A person who is guided by practical considerations rather than ideals.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Do-gooder mentality/attitude": Refers to a mindset perceived as simplistically focused on fixing social problems without regard for practical consequences.
  • The plan failed due to a do-gooder mentality that ignored market forces.

Noun

1. someone devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reforms