goodnessPronunciation: /ˈgʊdnɪs/Translate goodness | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of goodness noun 1the quality of being good:a belief in the basic goodness of mankind 2the beneficial or nourishing element of food. exclamation (as a substitution for ‘God’) expressing surprise, anger, etc.:goodness knows why she didn’t go herself my goodness, you gave me quite a fright!Phrases for goodness' sake see sake1. goodness of fit Statistics the extent to which observed data matches the values expected by theory. have the goodness to do something used in exaggeratedly polite requests:have the goodness to look at me when I’m speaking to youOrigin: Old English gōdnes (see good, -ness)goodness in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of goodness in the US English dictionary
