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I recently came across this sentence:

В любом случае клейми́ть целую нацию из-за частных случаев негоже.

However, I'm having a hard time finding any concrete information on the actual meaning of негоже, and it's register - is it colloquial, formal, archaic, etc.

CocoPop
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3 Answers3

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Негоже replaces the phrase (это) никуда не годится and means 'it's not the thing to do'. Works as a predicative adverb here. It is an outdated, bookish word but sometimes it is used for sounding less formal - instead of words like неприемлемо, недопустимо etc.

CocoPop
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Alex_ander
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    @ CocoPop Is the expression 'not the done thing' (which I suggested) out of usage now or maybe the context is somehow wrong for it?

    http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/not+the+done+thing http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/not-the-done-thing

     – Alex_ander Jul 30 '16 at 17:43
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    Thanks for the link. I guess they say that in England. I changed it here because I'd never heard that expression before and I like to edit the answers to my question so that they make sense to me if I read them at some point in the future again. I hope you don't mind :) – CocoPop Jul 31 '16 at 17:27
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"Негоже" (from "негожий" / "негодный" / "unfit" / "useless") means "не следует" (ought not), i.e. a very strong "advice" not to do something. It is typically used as a predicative.

It's colloquial but rather obsolete. Most often such words are to be found in a book within character's direct speech. But I wouldn't say it's archaic, as it's still spoken from time to time (just as many other "old" words in Russian language), sometimes also idiomatic, e.g.: "возьми, убоже, что нам негоже".

I'm having a hard time finding any concrete information

I suggest you use this dictionary.

CocoPop
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Matt
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  • So as a comment in a social media site, this is kind of tongue-in-cheek? – CocoPop Jul 30 '16 at 17:03
  • @CocoPop Well, not necessary, at least in the sense of "totally not serious". It is rather a joke, yes, but as it is said, в каждой шутке есть доля шутки. That should heavily depend upon the context, but I'd rather expect this word to be used to sweeten the pill or something. – Matt Jul 30 '16 at 17:25
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    That's exactly what I meant) The original comment was followed by two smileys. We often use archaic words and expressions like this in English, in a tongue-in-cheek way. – CocoPop Jul 30 '16 at 18:03
  • Well, after two up-styled (напыщенных) words In a row - клеймить, нацию - use of "негоже" looks rather natural. And no smileys. (Remember that Russians don't smile;)) – ddbug Jul 31 '16 at 21:32
  • @Matt This phrase is not a joke. It says that it's unacceptable to blame the whole nation for the behavior of several people. No more, no less. "Негоже" is a neutral word. It gives no subjective evaluation of the action. Its intent is to softly remark that something is unacceptable. – polkovnikov.ph Aug 01 '16 at 16:56
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Literary and rather archaic. From "не годится".

ddbug
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