Dutch

Noun

goedmens m ‎(plural goedmensen, diminutive goedmensje n)

1. (derogatory) do-gooder; person who has a naïve and unreflected conviction of their own moral superiority

   De witte, elitaire, progressieve goedmens die op kosten van de hardwerkende loodgieter, maar nooit samen met die hardwerkende loodgieter, gesubsidieerd loopt te mijmeren over de maatschappij is het moderne equivalent van de Naakte Keizer. (2014, NRC)

   The white, elitist, progressive do-gooder who walks around reminiscing about society, meanwhile being subsidised by hardworking plumber Joe, but never in the company of that hardworking plumber Joe, that person is the modern equivalent of the emperor in the Emperor's New Clothes.

2. (derogatory, in particular) someone overly concerned with political correctness

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with goede mens "good human, good person" or goed mens "good woman".
• Sometimes spelt Goedmens, preserving the German capitalization, which reinforces the ironic or derogatory use of the word.
• Neuter in German, but reinterpreted as a masculine word, following the normal gender of the word mens in Dutch (even though in Dutch, the word mens can also take the neuter gender but not without a change in meaning).

Synonyms

• gutmensch