People sometimes say 'goodness' or 'my goodness' to express surprise.
[feelings]
Goodness, I wonder if he knows.
My goodness, he's earned millions in his career.
2. for goodness sake
3. thank goodness
4. uncountable noun
Goodness is the quality of being kind, helpful, and honest.
He retains a faith in human goodness.
Synonyms: virtue, honour, merit, integrity More Synonyms of goodness
More Synonyms of goodness
goodness in British English
(ˈɡʊdnɪs)
noun
1.
the state or quality of being good
2.
generosity; kindness
3.
moral excellence; piety; virtue
exclamation
4. a euphemism for God
goodness knows!
thank goodness!
goodness in American English
(ˈgʊdnɪs)
noun
1.
the state or quality of being good
; specif.,
a.
virtue; excellence
b.
kindness; generosity; benevolence
2.
the best part, essence, or valuable element of a thing
interjection
3.
used to express surprise or wonder
orig. a euphemism for God: also used in phrases
for goodness' sake!
Word origin
ME goodnesse < OE godnes
Examples of 'goodness' in a sentence
goodness
They do not give out of the goodness of their hearts.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Thank goodness for our supply of salad leaves.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is always the possibility of goodness and great beauty in all people.
Christianity Today (2000)
Moral goodness is the lack of any pursuit of selfish gain.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Goodness only knows how many boundaries have been leaked down there in this match.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Thank goodness this evil human being has been apprehended.
The Sun (2016)
Let but goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
She was also taken in by people out of the goodness of their hearts.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Goodness knows where it might go next.
The Sun (2014)
Goodness knows what people must have thought of me!
The Sun (2012)
Thank goodness my family were there.
The Sun (2009)
Thank goodness for that second glance.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They can go back street by street, for goodness sake.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Goodness gracious, life would be dull.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
While individuals may recycle out of the goodness of their hearts, businesses need a profit motive.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She was in a deli, for goodness sake.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
So for goodness' sake say something, or a potentially good relationship could just slip away.
The Sun (2013)
Quotations
Goodness is easier to recognise than to defineW.H. AudenI 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 willDuc de la RochefoucauldMaxims
Goodness is not achieved in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by loveSaul BellowDangling Man
In other languages
goodness
British English: goodness INTERJECTION
People sometimes say 'goodness' or 'my goodness' to express surprise.
Goodness, I wonder if he knows.
American English: goodness
Brazilian Portuguese: céus
Chinese: 天哪表示惊讶
European Spanish: Dios (mío)
French: mon Dieu
German: meine Güte
Italian: santo cielo
Japanese: 「あら！」、「ええっ！」など驚きを表す
Korean: 저런!
European Portuguese: Meu Deus
Latin American Spanish: Dios (mío)
British English: goodness NOUN
Goodness is the quality of being kind, helpful, and honest.
He retains a faith in human goodness.
American English: goodness
Brazilian Portuguese: bondade
Chinese: 善良
European Spanish: bondad
French: bonté
German: Güte
Italian: bontà
Japanese: 善良さ
Korean: 선량함
European Portuguese: bondade
Latin American Spanish: bondad
All related terms of 'goodness'
goodness of fit
the extent to which observed sample values of a variable approximate to values derived from a theoretical density , often measured by a chi-square test
honest-to-goodness
genuine ; real; authentic
thank God thank goodness thank heavens
You say ' Thank God ', ' Thank Goodness ', or ' Thank heavens ' when you are very relieved about something.
good gracious goodness gracious
Some people say good gracious or goodness gracious in order to express surprise or annoyance .
for God's sake for goodness sake for heaven's sake
Some people use expressions such as for God's sake , for heaven's sake , for goodness sake , or for Pete's sake in order to express annoyance or impatience , or to add force to a question or request . The expressions 'for God's sake' and 'for Christ's sake' could cause offence .
honest to God
Some people say ' honest to God ' to emphasize their feelings or to emphasize that something is really true .
Chinese translation of 'goodness'
goodness
(ˈɡudnɪs)
n(u)
(of person) 善良 (shànliáng)
int
(my) goodness!(我的)天哪！ ((wǒ de) tiān na!)
for goodness sake!看在老天爷(爺)的份上！ (Kàn zài lǎotiānyé de fènshang!)
goodness gracious!天哪！ (tiān na!)
thank goodness!谢(謝)天谢(謝)地！ (Xiè tiān xiè dì!)
out of the goodness of his heart出于(於)他的好心 (chūyú tā de hǎoxīn)
All related terms of 'goodness'
thank goodness!
谢(謝)天谢(謝)地！ Xiè tiān xiè dì!
goodness gracious!
天哪！ tiān na!
for goodness sake!
看在老天爷(爺)的份上！ Kàn zài lǎotiānyé de fènshang!
for goodness or heaven's sake!
( inf ) 看在上帝分上！ Kàn zài shàngdì fèn shang!
out of the goodness of his heart
出于(於)他的好心 chūyú tā de hǎoxīn
thank God, thank Goodness, thank heavens
感谢(謝)上帝 gǎnxiè Shàngdì
(my) goodness!
(我的)天哪！ (wǒ de) tiān na!
(good or goodness) gracious!
天哪！ tiānna!
1 (noun)
Definition
the quality of being good
He retains his faith in human goodness.
Synonyms
virtue
His mother was held up to the family as a paragon of virtue.
honour
I can no longer serve with honour as a member of your government.
merit
integrity
I have always regarded him as a man of integrity.
morality
an effort to preserve traditional morality
honesty
It's time for complete honesty from political representatives.
righteousness
adopting a tone of moral righteousness
probity (formal)
a woman renowned for her moral probity
rectitude
people of the utmost rectitude
uprightness
a contest in which courage and uprightness win through
Opposites
evil
,
corruption
,
dishonesty
,
wickedness
,
immorality
,
badness
,
worthlessness
2 (noun)
Definition
the quality of being good
her total belief in the goodness of the human spirit
Synonyms
excellence
a school once noted for its academic excellence
value
Studies are needed to see if these therapies have any value.
quality
a college of quality
worth
Her boss did not appreciate her true worth until she quit.
merit
Box-office success mattered more than artistic merit.
superiority
Our army has air superiority.
3 (noun)
Definition
the quality of being good
drinks full of natural goodness
Synonyms
nutrition
There are alternative sources of nutrition to animal flesh.
benefit
I'm a great believer in the benefits of this form of therapy.
advantage
A good crowd will be a definite advantage to the team.
nourishment
He was unable to take nourishment for several days.
wholesomeness
salubriousness
4 (noun)
Definition
the quality of being good
performing actions of goodness towards the poor
Synonyms
kindness
We have been treated with such kindness by everybody.
charity
He had no sense of right and wrong, no charity, no humanity.
humanity
The speech showed great humility and humanity.
goodwill
I invited them to dinner as a gesture of goodwill.
mercy
Neither side showed its prisoners any mercy.
compassion
They preach universal kindness and compassion.
generosity
her moral decency and generosity of spirit
friendliness
benevolence
A bit of benevolence from people in power is not what we need.
graciousness
beneficence
kindliness
His kindliness and warmth made him particularly effective with staff welfare.
humaneness
kind-heartedness
obligingness
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]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of advantage
Definition
benefit or profit
A good crowd will be a definite advantage to the team.
Synonyms
benefit,
use,
start,
help,
service,
aid,
profit,
favour,
asset,
assistance,
blessing,
utility,
boon,
ace in the hole,
ace up your sleeve,
convenience,
avail
in the sense of beneficence
Synonyms
generosity,
love,
virtue,
goodness,
goodwill,
compassion,
kindness,
altruism,
benevolence,
helpfulness,
unselfishness,
liberality,
largesse or largess
in the sense of benefit
Definition
a payment made by an institution or government to a person who is ill, unemployed, etc.
I'm a great believer in the benefits of this form of therapy.