- goodness
- good|nessS2 [ˈgudnıs] n [U]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1 my goodness!/goodness (gracious) me!2 for goodness' sake3 goodness (only) knows4¦(being good)¦5¦(best part)¦6 have the goodness to do something7 out of the goodness of somebody's heart▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1.) my goodness!/goodness (gracious) me!spoken said when you are surprised or sometimes angry▪ My goodness, you have spent a lot!2.) for goodness' sakespoken said when you are annoyed or surprised, especially when telling someone to do something▪ For goodness' sake stop arguing!3.) goodness (only) knowsspoken used to emphasize that you are not sure about something, or to make a statement stronger▪ That bar's been closed for goodness knows how long.▪ Goodness knows, I tried to help him!4.) ¦(BEING GOOD)¦the quality of being good▪ the desire to see goodness and justice in the world5.) ¦(BEST PART)¦the part of food which is good for your health▪ All the goodness of an egg is in the yolk.6.) have the goodness to do sthold-fashioned formal used when asking someone to do something in an extremely polite way▪ Please have the goodness to wait.7.) out of the goodness of sb's heartused when someone has done something in order to be kind or helpful to other people▪ He did it out of the goodness of his heart.
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.