what's the good of

English

Alternative forms

• what good is

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Phrase

what's the good of

1. (idiomatic) What is the purpose or advantage of

   You can't do anything about it, so what's the good of crying?

   Synonym: what's the use of

Translations

What is the purpose or advantage of

• French: à quoi bon (fr)
• Polish: na co komu to
• Portuguese: do que adianta, de que adianta
• Russian: како́й смысл (kakój smysl), что то́лку (što tólku)

References

• “what's the good of”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “what good”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “what s the good of what good is” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “what-s-the-good-of-what-good-is-it-doing-something” (US) / “what-s-the-good-of-what-good-is-it-doing-something” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.