goodness

English

Etymology

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”).

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, [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, 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

• goodness gracious
• goodness gracious me
• goodness knows
• goodness me
• honest to goodness
• honest-to-goodness
• my goodness
• oh my goodness
• oh my goodness gracious
• out of the goodness of one's heart
• thank goodness

 

Translations

state or characteristic of being good

• Albanian: mirësi (sq) f
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• 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
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• 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: hyvvyys
• Irish: maitheas f, maith (ga) f
• Italian: bontà (it) f
• Judeo-Italian: טובזה‎ f (tovezza)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: bonitās f
• Lithuanian: gerumas
• Middle English: goodnesse
• Occitan: bontat f, bonesa f
• Old High German: guotī 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)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tocharian B: kärtsauñe
• Turkish: iyilik (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎉𐎁 (ṭb)
• Vietnamese: lòng tốt
• 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)
• Middle English: goodnesse
• Russian: доброде́тель (ru) f (dobrodételʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. 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

Interjection

goodness

1. Short form of goodness me.

Anagrams

• dog's nose