# goodness

/ˈɡʊdnəs/ (US) · /ɡˈʊdnəs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/goodness
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. moral quality

noun · CEFR B1

the quality of being kind, helpful, and honest.

For teachers: the state or quality of being morally good or virtuous.

- She believed in the basic goodness of people despite the difficult news.
- The protagonist's inherent goodness serves as a foil to the cynical world in which the novel is set.

Usage: Uncountable in this sense.

### 2. nutritional value

noun · CEFR B2

the healthy parts of food that are good for your body.

For teachers: the beneficial or nutritional components of a substance, particularly food.

- Steaming vegetables helps to keep all the goodness inside them.
- The chef argued that over-processing the grains stripped away much of the natural goodness required for a balanced diet.

Usage: Often uncountable, though sometimes used with 'all the'.

### 3. showing surprise

interjection · CEFR B1 · Informal

a word you say when you are surprised, shocked, or annoyed.

For teachers: a euphemistic substitute for 'God' used in exclamations to express surprise, alarm, or emphasis.

- My goodness, I didn't expect to see you here today.
- Goodness knows how they managed to finish the project on such a restrictive budget.

Teaching tip: This is a 'polite' way to express surprise without using religious names, though it can sound slightly old-fashioned to younger speakers.

## Examples

- She believes in the basic goodness of all people.
- Steaming vegetables instead of boiling them helps to keep all the natural goodness inside.
- The protagonist's innate goodness serves as a stark contrast to the corruption and cynicism of the city around him.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.