Etimology
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". Related to gather and together, but not to god/God. Eclipsed non-native Middle English bon, bone, boon, boun (“good”) borrowed from Old French bon (“good”), from Latin bonus (“good”).
adjective
good (comparative better or (nonstandard, humorous) gooder, superlative best or (nonstandard, humorous) goodest)
(of people or animals)
(of capabilities)
(properties and qualities)
(colloquial, when with and) Very, extremely. See good and.
(colloquial) Ready
Holy (especially when capitalized) .
(of quantities)
Examples
good intentions
Yf ony man wolde begynne his synnes to reny / Or ony good people that fro vyce dyde refrayne / What so euer he were that to vertue wolde applye / But an yll tonge wyll all ouer throwe agayneIf any man would begin to renounce his sins, / Or any good people who refrained from vice, / Whatsoever he who wished to apply himself to virtue might be, / Still an ill tongue would overthrow it all again.
If any man would begin to renounce his sins, / Or any good people who refrained from vice, / Whatsoever he who wished to apply himself to virtue might be, / Still an ill tongue would overthrow it all again.
When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.
a good swimmer
Flatter him it may, I confess, but in the meantime the poor man is left under the fatal necessity of a needless delusion
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.
And Marsha says I am a good cook! Audio
Audio
Can you lend me fifty dollars? You know I'm good for it.
Be good while your mother and I are out.
Were you a good boy for the babysitter?
Would you like a glass of water? — I'm good.
[Are] you good? — Yeah, I'm fine.
Gimme another beer! — I think you're good.
My mother said she's good with me being alone with my date as long as she's met them first.
The soup is rather spicy. Are you good with that, or would you like something else?
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:
it’s a good watch; the flashlight batteries are still good
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.
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.
a good worker
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.
in good sooth
Love no man in good earnest.
The food was very good.
Eat a good dinner so you will be ready for the big game tomorrow.
The bread is still good.
This coupon is good for a free doughnut.
This theory still holds good even if much higher temperatures are assumed.
Twinnia biclavata differs from T. nova by inversion IS-1 and a nucleolar shift. Both are good species.
It is not good to be alone, / to walk here in this worthely wone, / In all this welthly wyn;It is not good to be alone / to walk here in this noble dwelling-place / in all this rich delight.
It is not good to be alone / to walk here in this noble dwelling-place / in all this rich delight.
If all was good and fair we met,This earth had been the ParadiseIt never look’d to human eyesSince Adam left his garden yet.
Exercise and a varied diet are good for you.
We had a good time.
a good omen; good weather
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.
a person's good name
a good job
My reasons are both good and weighty.
The soup is good and hot.
I'm good when you are.
The reports are good to go.
Good Friday, Good Wednesday, the Good Book
all in good time
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.
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, […].
This hill will take a good hour and a half to climb. The car was a good ten miles away.
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.
Related words
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
(antonym(s) of "having positive attributes"): bad, poor
(antonym(s) of "ethical"): bad, evil
interjection
good
That is good; an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation.
Examples
Good! I can leave now.
Etimology
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)
(nonstandard) Well; satisfactorily or thoroughly.
Examples
The boy done good.
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.
I kept my eyes peeled for signs of pursuit. There was none, unless I was being fooled very good.
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."
Marsellus fucked him up good. Word 'round the campfire is it was on account of Marsellus Wallace's wife.
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.
"They're travellin' good now. We'll leave them be."
Admiral Anderson: You did good, child. You did good. I'm proud of you.
Etimology
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)
(uncountable) The forces or behaviours that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence.
(countable) A result that is positive in the view of the speaker.
(uncountable) The abstract instantiation of goodness; that which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc.
(countable, usually in the plural) An item of merchandise.
Examples
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
Antonym: bad
The best is the enemy of the good.
He is an influence for good on those girls.
There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
[…] 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.
Coordinate term: service
Thy lands and goods / Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate / Unto the state of Venice.
Etimology
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)
(intransitive, now) To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve.
(transitive) To make good; turn to good; improve.
(intransitive) To make improvements or repairs.
(intransitive) To benefit; gain.
(transitive) To do good to (someone); benefit; cause to improve or gain.
(transitive) To satisfy; indulge; gratify.
(reflexive) To flatter; congratulate oneself; anticipate.
Etimology
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)
(transitive, now chiefly dialectal, Scotland) To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise.
Examples
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