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.
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, King James Version of the Bible, Galatians, 5:22:

     The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

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
• 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
• Greek: καλόσυνη f (kalósyni)

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

• Ido: boneso (io)

• Ingrian: hüvüsse
• Italian: bontà (it)
• Latin: bonitās
• Lithuanian: gerumas
• Occitan: bontat f, bonesa f
• Old Occitan: bontat 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)
• Telugu: మంచితనము (te) (mañcitanamu)
• Turkish: iyilik (tr)
• Votic: üvüz

good part or content of something

• Finnish: hyvä (fi)

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)

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
• French: ^{(please verify)} bonté (fr)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} bontà (it)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ^{(please verify)} باشی‎ (başî), ^{(please verify)} چاکه‌‎ (çake)

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• dog's nose