goodness
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the quality of being kind, helpful, and honest.
n.the state or quality of being morally good or virtuous.
Simple“She believed in the basic goodness of people despite the difficult news.”
In context“The protagonist's inherent goodness serves as a foil to the cynical world in which the novel is set.”
UsageUncountable in this sense.
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the healthy parts of food that are good for your body.
n.the beneficial or nutritional components of a substance, particularly food.
Simple“Steaming vegetables helps to keep all the goodness inside them.”
In context“The chef argued that over-processing the grains stripped away much of the natural goodness required for a balanced diet.”
UsageOften uncountable, though sometimes used with 'all the'.
Synonymsnutritionwholesomeness - 03 B1 Intermediate
interj.a word you say when you are surprised, shocked, or annoyed.
interj.a euphemistic substitute for 'God' used in exclamations to express surprise, alarm, or emphasis.
Simple“My goodness, I didn't expect to see you here today.”
In context“Goodness knows how they managed to finish the project on such a restrictive budget.”
Teacher's tipThis is a 'polite' way to express surprise without using religious names, though it can sound slightly old-fashioned to younger speakers.
“Most people are good human beings who would help you if you were injured, and that goodness is precious and worth fighting for.”
“A person who emanated goodness, and of course, a brilliant songwriter and performer.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.