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goodness

good·ness

(go͝od′nĭs)

1. The state or quality of being good.

2. The beneficial or nutritious part.

interj.

Used to express mild surprise.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

goodness

(ˈɡʊdnɪs)

1. the state or quality of being good

2. generosity; kindness

3. moral excellence; piety; virtue

interj

a euphemism for God: goodness knows!; thank goodness!.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

good•ness

(ˈgʊd nɪs)

1. the state or quality of being good.

2. moral excellence; virtue.

3. kindness; generosity.

4. the best or most valuable part of anything; essence.

5. a euphemism for God: Thank goodness!

interj.

6. (used in expressions of surprise, alarm, etc.).

[before 900]

syn: goodness, morality, virtue refer to qualities of character or conduct that entitle the possessor to approval and esteem. goodness is the simple word for a general quality recognized as an inherent part of one's character: her goodness and honesty. morality implies conformity to the recognized standards of right conduct: a citizen of the highest morality. virtue is a rather formal word, and usu. suggests goodness that is consciously or steadily maintained, often in spite of evil influences: a man of unassailable virtue.

Goodness

the belief that all things incline toward the good. — agathist, n.

the doctrine or science of the good. — agathologic, agathological, adj.

attitudes or actions of well-intentioned but sometimes ineffectual people, especially in the area of social reform.

the vindication of the goodness of God in the face of the existence of evil. — theodicean, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

goodness - that which is pleasing or valuable or useful; "weigh the good against the bad"; "among the highest goods of all are happiness and self-realization"

quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare

worthiness - the quality or state of having merit or value

benefit, welfare - something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the benefit of all"

better - something superior in quality or condition or effect; "a change for the better"

better - the superior one of two alternatives; "chose the better of the two"

optimum - most favorable conditions or greatest degree or amount possible under given circumstances

bad, badness - that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency; "take the bad with the good"

goodness - moral excellence or admirableness; "there is much good to be found in people"

kindness - the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic

beneficence - the quality of being kind or helpful or generous

morality - concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong; right or good conduct

virtue - a particular moral excellence

saintliness - the quality of resembling a saint

summum bonum - the supreme good in which all moral values are included or from which they are derived

evilness, evil - the quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice; "attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world"

goodness

noun

1. virtue, honour, merit, integrity, morality, honesty, righteousness, probity, rectitude, uprightness He retains his faith in human goodness.
virtue evil, corruption, dishonesty, wickedness, immorality, badness, worthlessness

4. kindness, charity, humanity, goodwill, mercy, compassion, generosity, friendliness, benevolence, graciousness, beneficence, kindliness, humaneness, kind-heartedness performing actions of goodness towards the poor

Quotations
"Goodness is easier to recognise than to define" [W.H. Auden I Believe]
"Nobody deserves to be praised for his goodness if he has not the power to be wicked. All other goodness is often only weakness and impotence of the will" [Duc de la Rochefoucauld Maxims]
"Goodness is not achieved in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love" [Saul Bellow Dangling Man]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

goodness

noun

The quality or state of being morally sound:

Translations

خَيْر، جَوْدَهيا الله!

dobrotamůj bože

godhedih du milde!

góîmennska, gæskahamingjan sanna

dobrotapanebože

dobrotahvala bogu

goodness

[ˈgʊdnɪs] N

2. (= kindness) → amabilidad f
out of the goodness of his heart → de lo bondadoso que es

3. (= good quality) → calidad f

5. (in phrases) (my) goodness!; goodness gracious! → ¡Dios mío!
thank goodness! → ¡menos mal!
for goodness' sake! → ¡por Dios!
I wish to goodness I'd never met him → ojalá nunca lo hubiera conocido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

goodness

[ˈgʊdnɪs]

(in exclamations) for goodness sake! → pour l'amour de Dieu!
goodness gracious! → bonté divine!
my goodness! → juste ciel!
thank goodness! → dieu merci!

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

goodness

→ Güte f; (of food) → Güte f, → Nährgehalt m; out of the goodness of his/her heart → aus reiner Herzensgüte; would you have the goodness to … (form) → hätten Sie bitte die Güte, zu … (geh)

(in exclamations etc) goodness knows → weiß der Himmel (inf); for goodness’ sake → um Himmels willen (inf); I wish to goodness I had never met him → wenn ich ihm doch bloß nie begegnet wäre!; (my) goodness! → meine Güte! (inf); goodness gracious or me! → ach du liebe or meine Güte! (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

goodness

[ˈgʊdnɪs]

1. n (virtue, kindness) → bontà (d'animo); (good quality) → (buona) qualità f

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

good

(gud) – comparative better (ˈbetə) : superlative best (best) – adjective

1. well-behaved; not causing trouble etc. Be good!; She's a good baby.

2. correct, desirable etc. She was a good wife; good manners; good English.

3. of high quality. good food/literature; His singing is very good.

4. skilful; able to do something well. a good doctor; good at tennis; good with children.

5. kind. You've been very good to him; a good father.

6. helpful; beneficial. Exercise is good for you.; Cheese is good for you.

7. pleased, happy etc. I'm in a good mood today.

8. pleasant; enjoyable. to read a good book; Ice-cream is good to eat.

9. considerable; enough. a good salary; She talked a good deal of nonsense.

10. suitable. a good man for the job.

11. sound, fit. good health; good eyesight; a car in good condition.

12. sensible. Can you think of one good reason for doing that?

13. showing approval. We've had very good reports about you.

14. thorough. a good clean.

15. healthy or in a positive mood. I don't feel very good this morning.

noun

1. advantage or benefit. He worked for the good of the poor; for your own good; What's the good of a broken-down car?

2. goodness. I always try to see the good in people.

interjection

an expression of approval, gladness etc.

ˈgoodness noun

the state of being good.

interjection

(also my goodness) an expression of surprise etc.

goods noun plural

1. objects etc for sale, products. leather goods.

2. articles sent by rail, not road, sea or air. This station is for passengers and goods; (also adjective) a goods train/station.

ˈgoody – plural ˈgoodies – noun

(usually in plural) any food (eg cake, ice-cream) which is particularly enjoyable to eat. the goodies at a children's party.

goodˈbye (-ˈbai) interjection, noun

an expression used when leaving someone. Goodbye – it was good of you to visit us; sad goodbyes.

good-day, good eveninggood morninggood-for-ˈnothing adjective, noun

(a person who is) useless or lazy. That boy's a lazy good-for-nothing (rascal).

good humour , (American) good humor

kindliness and cheerfulness.

good-ˈhumoured , (American) good-humored adjective

a good-humoured smile.

good-ˈhumouredly , (American) good-humoredly adverbgood-ˈlooking adjective

handsome; attractive. a good-looking girl; He is very good-looking.

good morning, good afternoon, good-ˈday, good evening, good night interjection, nouns

words used (depending on the time of day) when meeting or leaving someone. Good morning, Mrs Brown; Good night, everyone – I'm going to bed.

good-ˈnatured adjective

pleasant; not easily made angry. a good-natured fellow.

ˌgoodˈwill, good will noun

1. the good reputation and trade with customers that a business firm has. We are selling the goodwill along with the shop.

2. friendliness. He has always shown a good deal of goodwill towards us.

good works noun plural

acts of charity. He is known throughout the city for his good works.

as good as

almost. The job's as good as done.

be as good as one's word

to keep one's promises.

be up to no good

to be doing something wrong. I'm sure he's up to no good.

deliver the goods

to do what one has promised to do.

for good (sometimes for good and all)

permanently. He's not going to France for a holiday – he's going for good.

for goodness' sake

an expression of annoyance. For goodness' sake, will you stop that noise!

good for

1. certain to last. These houses are good for another hundred years at least.

2. certain to pay (a sum of money). He's good for $50.

3. certain to cause. That story is always good for a laugh.

good for you/him etc

an expression of approval. You've passed your exam – good for you!

Good Friday (ˌgud ˈfraidi) noun

the Friday before Easter commemorating the crucifixion of Christ.

good gracious, good heavens

expressions of surprise.

goodness gracious, goodness me

expressions of surprise.

good old

an expression used to show approval etc. Good old Fred! I knew he would help us out.

make good

1. to be successful. Through hard work and ability, he soon made good.

2. to repair or compensate for (loss, damages etc). The damage you caused to my car must be made good.

no good

useless; pointless. It's no good crying for help – no-one will hear you; This penknife is no good – the blades are blunt.

put in a good word for

to praise or recommend. Put in a good word for me when you see the boss.

take (something) in good part

not to be upset, offended or annoyed (eg by a joke, remark etc). John took the jokes about his accident with the pot of paint all in good part.

thank goodness

an expression used to show that a person is glad that something is all right. Thank goodness it isn't raining.

to the good

richer. After buying and selling some of these paintings, we finished up $500 to the good.