Link Centre Dictionary

goodness

good·ness

UK/ˈɡʊdnəs/ US/ˈɡʊ(d)nɪs/ common

noun

1.

that which is good or valuable or useful

  • “weigh the good against the bad”
  • “among the highest goods of all are happiness and self-realization”
Synonyms
Antonyms
2.

moral excellence or admirableness

  • “there is much good to be found in people”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English goodnesse, godnesse, from Old English gōdnes (“goodness; virtue; kindness”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī (“goodness”), equivalent to good + -ness. Cognate with Scots guidness (“goodness”), West Frisian goedens (“goodness”), Old High German guotnessī (“goodness”), Middle High German guotnisse (“goodness”), Russian годность (godnostʹ, “suitability, fitness”).

Phrases

  • goodness gracious
  • goodness gracious me
  • goodness knows
  • goodness me
  • honest to goodness
  • my goodness
  • oh my goodness
  • oh my goodness gracious

Related words

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.