good definition

English good definition

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: go͝od, IPA^(key): /ɡʊd/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (General American, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ɡʊd/, [ɡʊ̈d], [ɡɪ̈d]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (AAVE) enPR: go͝o(d), IPA^(key): /ɡʊ(d)/
• Rhymes: -ʊd

Etymology 1

From Middle English good, from Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to unite, be associated, suit”). Cognate with Russian го́дный (gódnyj, “fit, well-suited, good for; (coll.) good”), год (god), "year", via "suitable time". Not related to the word god.

Alternative forms

• g’d (poetic contraction)
• goode (obsolete)

Adjective

good (comparative better, superlative best)

1. (of people)
   1. Acting in the interest of what is beneficial, ethical, or moral.

      good intentions

      • 1460-1500, The Towneley Playsː

        It is not good to be alone, to walk here in this worthly wone.

      • 1500?, Evil Tonguesː

        If any man would begin his sins to reny, or any good people that frae vice deed rest ain. What so ever he were that to virtue would apply, But an ill tongue will all overthrow again.

      • 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter 6, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London; New York, N.Y.; Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., OCLC 34363729:

        When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.

   2. Competent or talented.

      a good swimmer

      • 1704, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached on Several Occasions, On the nature and measure of conscience:

        Flatter him it may, I confess, (as those are generally good at flattering who are good for nothing else,) but in the meantime the poor man is left under the fatal necessity of a needless delusion

      • 1922, Michael Arlen, “3/19/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:

        Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house ; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something ; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.

      • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

        And Marsha says I am a good cook!

        Audio (US)

        (file)

   3. Able to be depended on for the discharge of obligations incurred; of unimpaired credit; used with for.

      Can you lend me fifty dollars? You know I'm good for it.

   4. Well-behaved (especially of children or animals).

      Be good while your mother and I are out.

      Were you a good boy for the babysitter?

   5. (US) Satisfied or at ease

      Would you like a glass of water? — I'm good.

      [Are] you good? — Yeah, I'm fine.

   6. (archaic) Of high rank or birth.
      • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i], page 23, column 1–2:

        Thou art a Traitor, and a Miſcreant;
        Too good to be ſo, and too bad to liue,
        Since the more faire and chriſtall is the skie,
        The vglier ſeeme the cloudes that in it flye:

2. (of capabilities)
   1. Useful for a particular purpose; functional.

      it’s a good watch;  the flashlight batteries are still good

      • 1526, Herballː

        Against cough and scarceness of breath caused of cold take the drink that it hath been sodden in with Liquorice[,] or that the powder hath been sodden in with dry figs[,] for the same the electuary called dyacalamentum is good[,] and it is made thus.

      • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

        Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […]. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.

   2. Effective.

      a good worker

      • 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, OCLC 7780546; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], OCLC 2666860, page 0091:

        There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   3. (obsolete) Real; actual; serious.

      in good sooth

      • c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:

        Love no man in good earnest.

3. (properties and qualities)
   1. (of food)
      1. Edible; not stale or rotten.

         The bread is still good.

      2. Having a particularly pleasant taste.

         The food was very good.

         • c. 1430 (reprinted 1888), Thomas Austin, ed., Two Fifteenth-century Cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with Extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55 [Early English Text Society, Original Series; 91], London: N. Trübner & Co. for the Early English Text Society, volume I, OCLC 374760, page 11:

           Soupes dorye. — Take gode almaunde mylke […] caste þher-to Safroun an Salt […]

         • 1962 (quoting 1381 text), Hans Kurath & Sherman M. Kuhn, eds., Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978-0-472-01044-8, page 1242:

           dorrẹ̅, dōrī adj. & n. […] cook. glazed with a yellow substance; pome(s ~, sopes ~. […] 1381 Pegge Cook. Recipes page 114: For to make Soupys dorry. Nym onyons […] Nym wyn […] toste wyte bred and do yt in dischis, and god Almande mylk.

      3. Being satisfying; meeting dietary requirements.

         Eat a good dinner so you will be ready for the big game tomorrow.

   2. Healthful.

      Exercise and a varied diet are good for you.

   3. Pleasant; enjoyable.

      We had a good time.

   4. Favourable.

      a good omen;  good weather

   5. Unblemished; honourable.

      a person's good name

   6. Beneficial; worthwhile.

      a good job

      • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:

        Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. […] Next day she […] tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and had perhaps spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.

   7. Adequate; sufficient; not fallacious.
      • c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:

        My reasons are both good and weighty.

      • 1966, K. Rothfels; Margaret Freeman, “The salivary gland chromosomes of three North American species of Twinnia (Diptera: Simuliidae)”, in Canadian Journal of Zoology, volume 44, number 5, DOI:10.1139/z66-095:

        Twinnia biclavata differs from T. nova by inversion IS-1 and a nucleolar shift. Both are good species.

4. (colloquial, when with and) Very, extremely. See good and.

   The soup is good and hot.

5. Holy (especially when capitalized) .

   Good Friday, Good Wednesday, the Good Book

6. (of quantities)
   1. Reasonable in amount.

      all in good time

   2. Large in amount or size.

      a good while longer;  a good number of seeds;  A good part of his day was spent shopping.  It will be a good while longer until he's done.  He's had a good amount of troubles, he has.

      • 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter III, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, OCLC 491297620:

        The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line, which seems to have shown some ingenuity in avoiding them, […].

   3. Full; entire; at least as much as.

      This hill will take a good hour and a half to climb.  The car was a good ten miles away.

      • 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619, page 16:

        Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. No omnibus, cab, or conveyance ever built could contain a young man in such a rage. His mother lived at Pembridge Square, which is four good measured miles from Lincoln's Inn.

Usage notes

The comparative gooder and superlative goodest are nonstandard. In informal (often jocular) contexts, best may be inflected further and given the comparative bester and the superlative bestest; these forms are also nonstandard.

Synonyms

• (having positive attributes): not bad, all right, satisfactory, decent, see also Thesaurus:good
• (healthful): well
• (competent or talented): accomplished
• (acting in the interest of good; ethical): See Thesaurus:goodness

Antonyms

• (having positive attributes): bad, poor
• (ethical): bad, evil

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

good

1. That is good; an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation.

   Good! I can leave now.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English goode (“good, well”, adverb), from the adjective. Compare Dutch goed (“good, well”, adverb), German gut (“good, well”, adverb), Danish godt (“good, well”, adverb), Swedish godt (“good, well”, adverb), all from the adjective.

Adverb

good (comparative better, superlative best)

1. (nonstandard) Well; satisfactorily or thoroughly.

   The boy done good. (did well)

   • 1906, Zane Grey, The Spirit of the Border: A Romance of the Early Settlers in the Ohio Valley:

     If Silvertip refuses to give you the horse, grab him before he can draw a weapon, and beat him good. You're big enough to do it.

   • 1970, Troy Conway, The Cunning Linguist, London: Flamingo Books, page 66:

     I kept my eyes peeled for signs of pursuit. There was none, unless I was being fooled very good.

   • 1972, Harry Chapin (lyrics and music), “A Better Place to Be”, in Sniper and Other Love Songs:

     She said, "I don't want to bother you / Consider it's understood / I know I'm not no beauty queen / But I sure can listen good."

   • 2007 April 19, Jimmy Wales, “Jimmy Wales on the User-Generated Generation”, Fresh Air, WHYY, Pennsylvania [1]

     The one thing that we can't do...is throw out the baby with the bathwater.... We know our process works pretty darn good and, uh, it’s really sparked this amazing phenomenon of this...high-quality website.

Derived terms

• but good
• a good many

Etymology 3

From Middle English good, god, from Old English gōd (“a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good, goodness, welfare; virtue, ability, doughtiness; goods, property, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *gōdą (“goods, belongings”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-, *gʰodʰ- (“to unite, be associated, suit”). Compare German Gut (“item of merchandise; estate; property”).

Noun

good (countable and uncountable, plural goods)

1. (uncountable) The forces or behaviours that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:

     And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.

   Antonyms: bad, evil

2. (countable) A result that is positive in the view of the speaker.

   Antonym: bad

3. (uncountable) The abstract instantiation of goodness; that which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc.

   The best is the enemy of the good.

   He is an influence for good on those girls.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Psalms 4:6:

     There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

   • 1788, John Jay, The Federalist Papers No. 64:

     […] the government must be a weak one indeed, if it should forget that the good of the whole can only be promoted by advancing the good of each of the parts or members which compose the whole.

4. (countable, usually in the plural) An item of merchandise.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     Thy lands and goods / Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate / Unto the state of Venice.

Derived terms

• (item of merchandise): capital goods, consumer goods

Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English goden, godien, from Old English gōdian (“to improve, get better; make better; endow, enrich”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdōn (“to make better, improve”), from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“good, favourable”).

Verb

good (third-person singular simple present goods, present participle gooding, simple past and past participle gooded) (now chiefly dialectal)

1. (intransitive, now) To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve.
2. (transitive) To make good; turn to good; improve.
3. (intransitive) To make improvements or repairs.
4. (intransitive) To benefit; gain.
5. (transitive) To do good to (someone); benefit; cause to improve or gain.
6. (transitive) To satisfy; indulge; gratify.
7. (reflexive) To flatter; congratulate oneself; anticipate.

Derived terms

• gooding

Etymology 5

From English dialectal, from Middle English *goden, of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish göda (“to fatten, fertilise, battle”), Danish gøde (“to fertilise, battle”), ultimately from the adjective. See above.

Verb

good (third-person singular simple present goods, present participle gooding, simple past and past participle gooded)

1. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal, Scotland) To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise.
   • April 5 1628, Bishop Joseph Hall, The Blessings, Sins, and Judgments of God's Vineyard

     Nature was like itself , in it , in the world : God hath taken it in from the barren downs , and gooded it : his choice did not find , but make it thus

Derived terms

• goodening

Further reading

• good at OneLook Dictionary Search
• good in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• good in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Dutch Low Saxon good definition

Adjective

good

1. good

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Limburgish good definition

Alternative forms

• gott (Eupen)
• joot (Krefeld)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch goet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʝoː˦d], [ʝoː˦t]

Adjective

good (comparative baeter, superlative bès, predicative superlative 't 't bès)

1. good

Inflection

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Middle English good definition

Alternative forms

• god, gode, goed, gude

Etymology

From Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡoːd/
• Rhymes: -oːd

Adjective

good (plural and weak singular gode, comparative bettre, superlative best)

1. good (of good quality or behaviour)
2. good (morally right or righteous)
   • 14th c., Chaucer, General Prologue:

     and certeinly he was a good felawe

     and certainly he was a good fellow

3. advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful
4. large; of a great size or quantity
5. Having a great degree or extent.

Related terms

• goderhele
• goodles
• goodnesse

Descendants

• English: good
• Scots: guid
• Yola: gooude, gude, gayde

References

• “gọ̄d, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-17.