Adjacent Words

Goodness definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GOOD'NESS, n. The state of being good; the physical qualities which constitute value, excellence or perfection; as the goodness of timber; the goodness of a soil.
1. The moral qualities which constitute christian excellence; moral virtue; religion.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Galatians 5.
2. Kindness; benevolence; benignity of heart; but more generally, acts of kindness; charity; humanity exercised. I shall remember his goodness to me with gratitude.
3. Kindness; benevolence of nature; mercy.
The Lord God--abundant in goodness and truth. Exodus 34.
4. Kindness; favor shown; acts of benevolence, compassion or mercy.
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah
had done to Israel. Exodus 18.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: that which is pleasing or valuable or useful; "weigh the good against the bad"; "among the highest goods of all are happiness and self-realization" [syn: good, goodness] [ant: bad, badness]
2: moral excellence or admirableness; "there is much good to be found in people" [syn: good, goodness] [ant: evil, evilness]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: before 12th century 1. the quality or state of being good 2. — used interjectionally or in phrases especially to express mild surprise or shock <oh, my goodness !> <goodness knows> 3. the nutritious, flavorful, or beneficial part of something

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & int. --n. 1 virtue; excellence, esp. moral. 2 kindness, generosity (had the goodness to wait). 3 what is good or beneficial in a thing (vegetables with all the goodness boiled out). --int. (as a substitution for 'God') expressing surprise, anger, etc. (goodness me!; goodness knows; for goodness' sake!). Etymology: OE godnes (as GOOD, -NESS)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Goodness Good"ness, n. [AS. g?dnes.] The quality of being good in any of its various senses; excellence; virtue; kindness; benevolence; as, the goodness of timber, of a soil, of food; goodness of character, of disposition, of conduct, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. People sometimes say 'goodness' or 'my goodness' to express surprise. Goodness, I wonder if he knows... My goodness, he's earned millions in his career. for goodness sake: see sake thank goodness: see thank EXCLAM [feelings] 2. Goodness is the quality of being kind, helpful, and honest. He retains a faith in human goodness.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

good'-nes: This word in the Old Testament is the translation of Tobh (Ex 18:9; Ps 16:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "good"; 23:6), etc.; of Tubh (Ex 33:19; Ps 31:19; Jer 31:14; Ho 3:5), etc.; of checedh (Ex 34:6), "abundant in goodness," the English Revised Version "plenteous in mercy," the American Standard Revised Version "abundant in loving kindness"; "The goodness of God endureth continually," the Revised Version (British and American) "mercy," the American Standard Revised Version "loving kindness" (Ps 52:1), etc.

In the New Testament it is the translation of chrestotes ("usefulness," benignity); "the riches of his goodness" (Ro 2:4; 11:22, thrice); of chrestos ("useful," "benign," "kind," in Lu 6:35); "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Ro 2:4); of agathosune (found only in the New Testament and Septuagint and writings based thereon), "full of goodness." (Ro 15:14); "gentleness, goodness, faith" (Ga 5:22); "in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Eph 5:9); "all the good pleasure of his goodness," the Revised Version (British and American) "every desire of goodness." (2Th 1:11).

The thought of God as good and the prominence given to "good" and "goodness" are distinctive features of the Bible. In the passage quoted above from Ga 5:22, "goodness" is one of the fruits of the indwelling Spirit of God, and in that from Eph 5:9 it is described as being, along with righteousness and truth, "the fruit of the light" which Christians had been "made" in Christ. Here, as elsewhere, we are reminded that the Christian life in its truth is likeness to God, the source and perfection of all good. 2Th 1:11 regards God Himself as expressing His goodness in and through us.

See GOOD; GOOD, CHIEF.

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Excellence, value, worth. 2. Righteousness, virtue, integrity, uprightness, probity, honesty, principle. 3. Kindness, benevolence, good-will, benignity, beneficence, humaneness, humanity.

Moby Thesaurus

Christianity, Christlikeness, Christliness, affability, affectionateness, agreeability, agreeableness, amenity, amiability, amicability, angelicalness, appropriateness, assured probity, beauty of holiness, beneficialness, benignancy, benignity, blamelessness, bliss, blissfulness, brotherhood, character, cleanness, compassion, compatibility, complaisance, congeniality, cordiality, correctitude, correctness, decencies, decency, decorousness, decorum, delectability, deliciousness, enjoyableness, erectness, estimableness, fairness, fear of God, feeling of kinship, felicitousness, fellow feeling, fine flavor, fitness, fittingness, flavorfulness, flavoriness, flavorousness, flavorsomeness, fraternal feeling, full flavor, geniality, godlikeness, godliness, godly-mindedness, good character, good flavor, good taste, goodliness, goodness of heart, gourmet quality, grace, graciousness, gustatory delightfulness, harmoniousness, healthfulness, healthiness, heart of gold, heavenliness, heavenly-mindedness, high ideals, high principles, high-mindedness, holiness, holy-mindedness, honesty, honor, honorableness, humaneness, humanity, immaculacy, integrity, irreproachability, irreproachableness, justice, justness, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindly disposition, kindness, loving kindness, lusciousness, mellifluousness, mellowness, merit, moral excellence, moral rectitude, moral strength, morale, morality, niceness, nobility, normality, normativeness, odor of sanctity, oh, otherworldliness, pleasance, pleasantness, pleasantry, pleasingness, pleasurability, pleasurableness, pleasure, pleasurefulness, principles, probity, properness, proprieties, propriety, pureness, pureness of heart, purity, quality, rapport, rectitude, reputability, respectability, right conduct, right taste, righteousness, rightness, sainthood, saintlikeness, saintliness, saintship, salubriousness, salubrity, salutariness, sanctitude, sanctity, sapidity, savoriness, scrumptiousness, seemliness, seraphicalness, softheartedness, soul of kindness, spiritual-mindedness, spirituality, stainlessness, suitability, superiority, sweetness, sympathy, tastiness, tenderheartedness, toothsomeness, unearthliness, unimpeachability, unimpeachableness, unspottedness, unworldliness, uprightness, upstandingness, virtue, virtuousness, warmheartedness, warmth, warmth of heart, welcomeness, wholesomeness, worthiness