Meanings
plural goodnesses
- uncountableThe state or characteristic of being good.
Rich, raisiny, smoky, coffee goodness: that is the flavor of urfa biber.
2014 October 7, Amanda Bevill, Julie Kramis Hearne, World Spice at Home: New Flavors for 75 Favorite Dishes, Sasquatch Books, →ISBN, page 422 more examples
There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill, / VVould men obſeruingly 'diſtill it out.
1599 (date written), 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[…] Mr. Bradley allows the Hill to contain two Perches to one of the Baſe, and the Soil of both to be of equal Goodneſs, and yet, affirms, that the two can produce no more of Grain or Trees, than the one Perch can; […]
1731, [Jethro Tull], “Of Ridges”, in The New Horse-Houghing Husbandry: or, An Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation. […], London: […] [T]he Author, →OCLC, page 97 - countableThe good, nutritional, healthy part or content of something.
- countableuncountableChristianityThe moral qualities which constitute Christian excellence; moral virtue.
But the fruit of the ſpirit is loue, ioy, peace, long ſuffering, gentleneſſe, goodneſſe, faith, / Meekeneſſe, temperance: againſt ſuch there is no law.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 5:22–23, column 2
- abbreviationclippingClipping of goodness me or various similar exclamations such as goodness gracious.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*gōdnassī“goodness”
- Old Englishgōdnes“goodness; virtue; kindness”
- Middle Englishgoodnesse
- Englishgoodness
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀγαθότης, ἀγαθοσύνη
- ἀγαθότης (agathótēs)state or characteristic of being good
- ἀγαθοσύνη (agathosúnē)state or characteristic of being good
Arabic خَيْر, خَيْر
- خَيْر (ḵayr)state or characteristic of being good
- خَيْر (ḵayr)good part or content of something
- صَلَاح (ṣalāḥ)good part or content of something
Bulgarian добрина, доброта
- добрина (dobrina)state or characteristic of being good
- доброта (dobrota)state or characteristic of being good
- добродетел (dobrodetel)Christianity: moral virtue
Catalan bondat, bonesa
- bondatstate or characteristic of being good
- bonesastate or characteristic of being good
Czech dobrota
- dobrotastate or characteristic of being good
Dutch goedheid
- goedheidstate or characteristic of being good
Esperanto boneco
- bonecostate or characteristic of being good
Finnish hyvyys, hyvä
- hyvyysstate or characteristic of being good
- hyvägood part or content of something
- hyvyysChristianity: moral virtue
French bonté, bonté divine
- bontéstate or characteristic of being good
- bonté divineeuphemistically: God
- corbleueuphemistically: God
- crebleueuphemistically: God
- jarnibleueuphemistically: God
- jarnicotoneuphemistically: God
- maugrebleueuphemistically: God
- maugrébleueuphemistically: God
- morbleueuphemistically: God
- morguienneeuphemistically: God
- nom de Zeuseuphemistically: God
- nom d’un chieneuphemistically: God
German Güte, Gütigkeit
- Gütestate or characteristic of being good
- Gütigkeitstate or characteristic of being good
- Herzensgütestate or characteristic of being good
- Tugendstate or characteristic of being good
- Integritätstate or characteristic of being good
Greek καλοσύνη
- καλοσύνη (kalosýni)state or characteristic of being good
Hebrew טוֹב
- טוֹבstate or characteristic of being good
Hungarian jóság
- jóságstate or characteristic of being good
Irish maitheas, maith
- maitheasstate or characteristic of being good
- maithstate or characteristic of being good
Italian bontà
- bontàstate or characteristic of being good
Latin bonitās
- bonitāsstate or characteristic of being good
Lithuanian gerumas, gera
- gerumasstate or characteristic of being good
- geragood part or content of something
Polish dobro, dobroć
- dobrostate or characteristic of being good
- dobroćstate or characteristic of being good
Portuguese bondade
- bondadestate or characteristic of being good
Romanian bunătate
- bunătatestate or characteristic of being good
Russian доброта́, добро́
- доброта́ (dobrotá)state or characteristic of being good
- добро́ (dobró)good part or content of something
- доброде́тель (dobrodételʹ)Christianity: moral virtue
Spanish bondad
- bondadstate or characteristic of being good
Swahili uzuri
- uzuristate or characteristic of being good
Swedish godhet
- godhetstate or characteristic of being good
Tagalog buti
- butistate or characteristic of being good
Tamil நல்லது
- நல்லது (nallatu)state or characteristic of being good
Turkish iyilik
- iyilikstate or characteristic of being good
Vietnamese lòng tốt
- lòng tốtstate or characteristic of being good
Cite this entry
goodness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodness
“goodness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “goodness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodness.
Source: goodness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.