goodness
Used as a short, polite shout when you feel surprise, shock, or strong emotion.
Used as an exclamation to show surprise, shock, or other strong feelings, often as a mild alternative to saying “God.”
The quality of being kind, honest, and wanting to do the right thing.
Moral excellence or kindness in a person’s character or actions.
The good, healthy parts in food that help your body, such as vitamins and minerals.
The healthy, beneficial substances and qualities contained in food or drink.
How good or useful something is, especially when you compare it with other things.
The extent or level of how good, useful, or satisfactory something is, often in comparison with alternatives.
- Base: goodness
- Plural: goodness
goodness gracious
1Polite or old-fashioned surprise
An old-fashioned polite expression used when you are surprised or shocked.
- Goodness gracious, that car is fast!
- Goodness gracious, I had no idea tickets were so expensive.
goodness knows
1Nobody knows / it’s unclear
Said to mean that you do not know something, and maybe nobody knows it.
- Goodness knows what he’s doing out there in the dark.
- Goodness knows how long this meeting will last.
goodness me
1Surprised exclamation (BrE)
A British expression used to show surprise or strong feeling, similar to “oh my goodness.”
- Goodness me, I didn’t recognize you with that haircut!
- Goodness me, I’ve never seen snow like this before.
oh my goodness
1Polite surprised exclamation
Said when you feel strong surprise, shock, or emotion, instead of saying “oh my God.”
- Oh my goodness, I completely forgot your birthday!
- Oh my goodness, that dog is huge.
- Oh my goodness, are you okay after the fall?
out of the goodness of [someone]'s heart
1From pure kindness, not for gain
If someone does something out of the goodness of their heart, they do it only because they are kind, not to get money or another benefit.
- She wasn’t paid; she helped purely out of the goodness of her heart.
- He didn’t lend you the money out of the goodness of his heart—he expects something in return.
thank goodness
1Exclamation of relief or gratitude
Said when you are happy and feel safe because something bad did not happen or is finished.
- Thank goodness you arrived home safely.
- Thank goodness the rain stopped before the game.
- We were lost for hours—thank goodness we finally found the road.
for goodness' sake
1Mild annoyance or emphasis
Said to show that you are annoyed, upset, or surprised, in a polite or soft way.
- For goodness' sake, turn the music down!
- Oh, for goodness' sake, I just cleaned this room.
- For goodness' sake, can you hurry up?
for goodness' sake
2expression of annoyance or emphasis
Used to show you are annoyed, surprised, or want to make your point stronger, without using rude words.
- For goodness' sake, close the door!
- Oh, for goodness' sake, stop arguing.
my goodness
1mild surprise or concern
A polite way to show surprise or worry.
- My goodness, you’ve grown so much!
- My goodness, what happened here?
my goodness
2General polite exclamation
Said when you feel strong surprise, concern, or another strong feeling, instead of saying “my God.”
- My goodness, what a mess!
- My goodness, you’ve grown since I last saw you.
- My goodness, that exam was difficult.