goodness

/ˈgʊdnəs/ noun

Definition

› [U] the quality of being good: She believes in the goodness of human nature.

my goodness informal › something you say when you are surprised: My goodness, he's a big baby, isn't he?

thank goodness informal › something you say when you are happy because something bad did not happen: Thank goodness that dog didn't bite you.

for goodness sake › used when you are annoyed or when you want something to happen quickly: For goodness sake, come in out of the rain.

(Definition of goodness noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

real or true

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.