# goodness

Pronunciation: say "GUUD-nuhs" /ˈɡʊdnəs/

## Noun

1. The state or quality of being good in character or behavior.
   - Simple: The quality of being kind, honest, and morally good.
   - _Her goodness was evident in every quiet act of kindness she performed._
   - _We rarely question the goodness of someone who gives without expecting anything in return._
2. The nourishing or healthy part or content of something, especially food.
   - Simple: The healthy, useful part of food that is good for your body.
   - _Slow cooking draws all the goodness out of the bones and into the broth._
   - _Refining the flour strips away much of the grain's natural goodness._
3. A euphemistic substitute for God, used in exclamations to avoid naming the deity directly.
   - Simple: A polite stand-in for the word God, used in everyday exclamations.
   - _Thank goodness no one was hurt when the scaffolding collapsed._
   - _Goodness knows where she put the keys this time._
5. The moral qualities that constitute Christian excellence, or moral virtue more generally.
   - Simple: The moral good and virtue that Christian faith calls people to live by.
   - _The preacher described goodness as the fruit of a life lived in faith._
   - _Their tradition measures goodness by humility, charity, and obedience to God._

## Interjection

4. Clipping of goodness me or various similar exclamations such as goodness gracious. — Clipping of goodness me or various similar exclamations such as goodness gracious.
   - Simple: Short form of goodness me or various similar exclamations such as goodness gracious. Say it when something surprises you.
   - _Goodness, I never expected to see you here after all these years!_
   - _Well, goodness, that bill is far higher than I thought it would be._

## Origin

From Middle English goodnesse, from Old English gōdnes ("goodness; virtue; kindness"), going back to Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī. It is simply good plus the suffix -ness, and is related to Scots guidness and West Frisian goedens.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/goodness (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).