goodness

English

Etymology

From Middle English goodnesse, godnesse, from Old English gōdnes (“goodness; virtue; kindness”), equivalent to good +‎ -ness. Cognate with Old High German gōtnassī, cōtnassī (“goodness”), Middle High German guotnisse (“goodness”), Russian годность (godnostʹ, “suitability, fitness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡʊdnəs/, /ˈɡʊdnɪs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

goodness (countable and uncountable, plural goodnesses)

1. (uncountable) The state or characteristic of being good.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i], page 83, column 2:

     There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill, / VVould men obſeruingly 'diſtill it out.

   • 2014 October 7, Amanda Bevill; Julie Kramis Hearne, World Spice at Home: New Flavors for 75 Favorite Dishes‎^[1], Sasquatch Books, →ISBN, page 42:

     Rich, raisiny, smoky, coffee goodness: that is the flavor of urfa biber.

2. (countable) The good, nutritional, healthy part or content of something.
3. (uncountable, euphemistic) God.

   Thank goodness that the war is over!

4. (Christianity) The moral qualities which constitute Christian excellence; moral virtue.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Galatians 5:22–23, column 2:

     But the fruit of the ſpirit is loue, ioy, peace, long ſuffering, gentleneſſe, goodneſſe, faith, / Meekeneſſe, temperance: againſt ſuch there is no law.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:goodness

Derived terms

• my goodness!

Translations

state or characteristic of being good

• Albanian: mirësi (sq) f
• Aromanian: bunãtati f
• Asturian: bondá f
• Bulgarian: добрина (bg) f (dobrina), доброта (bg) f (dobrota)
• Catalan: bondat (ca) f, bonesa f
• Choctaw: achukma
• Czech: dobrota (cs) f
• Dutch: goedheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: boneco (eo)
• Finnish: hyvyys (fi)
• French: bonté (fr) f

  Old French: bonté f

• Friulian: bontât f
• Galician: bondade (gl) f
• German: Güte (de) f, Gütigkeit (de) f, (elevated) Herzensgüte (de) f, Tugend (de) f, Integrität (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌴𐌻𐌴𐌹 f (sēlei), 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 f (gōdei)
• Greek: καλοσύνη (el) f (kalosýni)

  Ancient: ἀγαθότης f (agathótēs), ἀγαθοσύνη f (agathosúnē)

• Hebrew: טוֹב‎ (he) m
• Ido: boneso (io)

• Ingrian: hüvüsse
• Irish: maitheas f, maith (ga) f
• Italian: bontà (it) f
• Judeo-Italian: טובזה‎ f (tovezza)
• Latin: bonitās f
• Lithuanian: gerumas
• Occitan: bontat f, bonesa f
• Old Occitan: bontat f
• Polish: dobro (pl) n, dobroć (pl) f
• Portuguese: bondade (pt) f
• Romanian: bunătate (ro)
• Russian: доброта́ (ru) f (dobrotá)
• Scots: guidness
• Spanish: bondad (es) f
• Swahili: uzuri (sw)
• Swedish: godhet (sv)
• Tagalog: buti
• Tamil: நல்லது (ta) (nallatu)
• Telugu: మంచితనము (te) (mañcitanamu)
• Tocharian B: kärtsauñe
• Turkish: iyilik (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎉𐎁 (ṭb)
• Votic: üvüz

good part or content of something

• Arabic: خَيْر‎ m (ḵayr), صَلَاح‎ (ar) m (ṣalāḥ) (righteousness)
• Finnish: hyvä (fi)

• Russian: добро́ (ru) n (dobró)

euphemistically: God

• French: bonté divine (fr), corbleu (fr), crebleu (fr), jarnibleu (fr), jarnicoton (fr), maugrebleu (fr), maugrébleu (fr), morbleu (fr), morguienne (fr), nom de Zeus (fr), nom d’un chien (fr), nom d’un petit bonhomme (fr), nom d’une pipe (fr), palsambleu (fr), parbleu (fr), par Jupiter (fr), par Toutatis (fr), rogntudju (fr), sacrebleu (fr), sambleu (fr), scrogneugneu (fr), têtebleu (fr), tubleu (fr), ventrebleu (fr), vertubleu (fr)

Christianity: moral virtue

• Bulgarian: добродетел (bg) f (dobrodetel)
• Finnish: hyvyys (fi)

• Russian: доброде́тель (ru) f (dobrodételʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Cebuano: ^{(please verify)} kaayo

• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} باشی‎ (ku) (başî), ^{(please verify)} چاکە‎ (çake)

Further reading

• “goodness” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “goodness” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• goodness at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• dog's nose