Word
goodnight
Phoneticsgood·night, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡʊdˌnaɪt/
UK/ɡʊdnˈaɪt/
Definitions
01a nighttime farewell
A1 · Beginner
interj. you say this when leaving someone at night or when you are going to bed.
interj. a formulaic expression used as a farewell during the evening or immediately prior to sleep.
“She kissed the children and said goodnight before turning off the light.”
“After a long dinner and much laughter, the guests finally said goodnight and headed to their respective cars.”
Pitfall
I said goodnight to him when I arrived at the party.
I said good evening to him when I arrived at the party.
Use 'goodnight' only when leaving or going to sleep. Use 'good evening' when you arrive somewhere at night.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02the act of saying goodbye
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. the act of saying goodbye at the end of the evening.
n. an instance of bidding farewell at night.
“They shared a quick goodnight at the front door before he left.”
“Their lingering goodnight suggested that neither was particularly eager for the evening to come to an end.”
03to say goodbye to someone
C1 · Advanced Literary
v. to say 'goodnight' to someone.
v. to bid someone good night; often used transitively.
“He goodnighted his hosts and walked out into the cool evening air.”
“Having goodnighted the rest of the household, the old man sat alone by the fire to finish his book.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From good + night.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
INTERJECTION
Idioms
01. goodnight Irene
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- A1 · Beginner
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/goodnight