goodness
Exclamation of surprise or emotion
Used as a short, polite shout when you feel surprise, shock, or strong emotion.
Goodness, [clause]
- “Goodness, what happened to your car?”
- Goodness, that was a close call!
- Goodness! I didn’t expect to see you here.
- My goodness, look how much he’s grown!
- Goodness, that movie was longer than I thought.
- Goodness, this bag is heavy!
- Goodness, it is cold today.
- My goodness, you are so tall now.
- Goodness, I forgot my keys at home.
- Oh my goodness, the baby is so cute.
Moral goodness or virtue
The quality of being kind, honest, and wanting to do the right thing.
the goodness of [someone]
- She never lost her faith in the basic goodness of people.
- His quiet goodness impressed everyone who worked with him.
- Their generosity showed a real goodness of heart.
- The novel explores the conflict between human goodness and selfish desire.
- We were moved by the goodness he showed to complete strangers.
- She believes in the goodness of people.
- His goodness to his neighbors is famous.
- They helped us from simple goodness, not for money.
- The teacher’s goodness made the students feel safe.
- Her smile shows the goodness in her heart.
Healthy part of food
The good, healthy parts in food that help your body, such as vitamins and minerals.
the goodness of [food/drink]
- This juice is full of the natural goodness of fresh fruit.
- Cooking vegetables too long can destroy much of their goodness.
- The company claims its cereal keeps all the goodness of whole grains.
- Homemade soup lets you keep in all the goodness of the ingredients.
- They add extra vitamins to boost the goodness of the drink.
- This bread has a lot of natural goodness.
- Fresh fruit has more goodness than candy.
- Boil the vegetables lightly to keep the goodness in them.
- Milk gives children the goodness they need to grow.
- I drink this smoothie for its health and goodness.
Level or degree of quality
How good or useful something is, especially when you compare it with other things.
the goodness of [something]
- We compared the relative goodness of the two proposals before deciding.
- The committee questioned the goodness of the plan.
- Scientists tested the goodness of fit between the model and the data.
- She doubted the overall goodness of the decision.
- The goodness of their solution became clear over time.
- They talked about the goodness of the new plan.
- We must think about the goodness of this choice.
- The boss was not sure about the goodness of the idea.
- People disagreed about the goodness of his actions.
- In the end, they saw the goodness of their decision.
- 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.