d-nis]
| 1. | the state or quality of being good. |
| 2. | moral excellence; virtue. |
| 3. | kindly feeling; kindness; generosity. |
| 4. | excellence of quality: goodness of workmanship. |
| 5. | the best part of anything; essence; strength. |
| 6. | a euphemism for God: Thank goodness! |
| 7. | (used in expressions of surprise, alarm, etc.): Goodness, you gave me a start! Goodness gracious! |
Goodness
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.
goodness
In addition to the idioms beginning with goodness, also see for the sake of, def. 3; god (goodness) knows; honest to god (goodness); my god (goodness.