GOONS Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

goons

noun

plural of goon

as in idiots

a stupid person an unfortunate tendency to call those who disagree with him "brainless goons"

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in thugs

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang the crime boss threatened to send the goons after him if he squealed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of goons The Hawks dispatched those goons from Orlando to start the season and have one more road game tonight in Charlotte before Saturday’s home opener. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Watching Matt slip into the forms of other people, especially the goons Szabo surrounds himself with, lends Clayface its thrills. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 But Mark, in Ronson’s telling, quickly grows antagonistic, abruptly asking Ronson to sign an NDA, then later barraging him with suspicious texts and threatening him with a pair of goons. — Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 His goons start the job, but Sang-il sends in one of his best men, Jang Tae-ha, to finish the job. — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 One explosive clash with armed goons later, Stuart is in possession of a device that looks more or less like a microwave but has the ability to propel them through different dimensions with the push of a button. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026 Elordi played high school bully Nate, who in Season 3 dealt with some goons who tormented him and brutally physically assaulted him. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 July 2026 Farage has indeed been targeted for public attacks by political goons for years. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2026 But goons roaming the streets, vandalizing property and causing mayhem must not be tolerated. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goons

Noun

Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
And then there’s the culture of the scientists, and these idiots can’t read Dickens.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of idiots

Noun

These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Saint played Edie Doyle, whose brother was murdered by thugs working for a mob boss running a longshoremen's union; her character becomes involved with Brando's pugilistic dockworker Terry Malloy.

— David Morgan, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

There are complicated brain-chemistry factors involved that have to do with testosterone, and dopaminergic systems, and kappa-opioid receptors, all of which seem to add up to a Jim Gaffigan joke about how men are morons compared with their wives.

— McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of morons

Noun

Also protect the email account associated with your Social Security profile because criminals may target it to reset other passwords.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Ford placed the inmate’s bid for clemency on the agenda of the state pardons board — an example, Lombardo claims, of the way Ford treats criminals.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

The show will serve as a platform for countless lunatics within the InfoWars universe and a platform for larger announcements about the company’s fictional exploits.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Republicans see an opportunity here, portraying progressive and socialist Democrats as lunatics and communists.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of lunatics

Noun

Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
One of Batman’s creepiest villains is descending upon the box office this weekend.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.

— Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bandits

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go one better

goons

goop

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“Goons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goons. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of goons

noun

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