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no bueno

(US, informal, mildly, humorous) not good; no good; bad.

ˈnoʊ ˈbwɛ.noʊCurrent59 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
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5 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(US, informal, mildly, humorous) not good; no good; bad.

Origin: ; a calque of no good. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"no bueno" means: not good; no good; bad.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"no bueno" means: not good; no good; bad.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Heard in the wild
  • Could be nerves/stress. If you're not relaxed and in the mood then that's no bueno

    Bluesky· May 2026
  • Kinda glad I waited to draw today. 2 power fluctuations in a row so close together... no bueno.

    Bluesky· May 2026
  • No bitches no bueno Bitches bueno

    Bluesky· May 2026
  • No Bueno. I hope Fulton County uses legal means to deny this information. He's trying to intimidate that county bc he's a bully and that's what bullies do.

    Bluesky· May 2026
  • This. Ä) a lot of meds don’t work for a lot of people in the way they need B) this process takes trial and error and needs more support than it currently gets C) telling ppl to go off meds directly is no bueno.

    Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers

"no bueno" means: not good; no good; bad.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

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