What does "goody" mean?
A small amount of something good to eat.
Goody
/ˈɡʊdi/ adj, intj, name, noun, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small amount of something good to eat.
- Grammar: goody is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: treat, advantage, affected, ambrosia.
- Useful contrasts: awful, disadvantage, drawback.
- Usage evidence: You're keeping up this Mr. Goody Two-Shoes act just fine, but mark my words: nobody's this perfect.
How to use "goody"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "goody" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "goody" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "goody" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "goody" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "goody" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "treat" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "goody", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small amount of something good to eat. informal
"[…] when the pleasant time of night is come, and the stewardess is tucking up the ladies, and putting oranges and other goodies under their pillows, and the menfolk assemble in the capstan house to smoke their last cigar."
- 2 Goodwife, a 17th-century Puritan honorific for an adult woman. obsolete
- 3 something considered choice to eat wordnet
- 4 Any small, usually free, item. informal
"The new tax bill has something for everyone, it's true: a cornucopia of savings for the middle class, plenty of goodies for the rich and poor--and a dagger in the back for upper-income wage slaves."
- 5 Pudding made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. Ireland
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Alternative form of goodie (“hero, good character in a story”). alt-of, alternative, informal
"Eventually he would throw the goody out of the ring, at which point the goody lost his rag, climbed back into the ring and gave the baddy a good pasting. He was declared the winner, and everybody was satisfied."
- 7 That which is good, the good part of something, which one desires to extract or use up. colloquial
"Use flour to thicken the gravy and get all the goody out of the pan ... make the gravy right in it. I know of nothing that beats mashed potatoes with this."
- 8 An American fish, the lafayette or spot.
Adjective
- 1 Synonym of goody-goody (“mawkishly good; weakly benevolent or pious”).
Intj
- 1 Used to indicate pleasure or delight. informal
"Oh goody, ice cream!"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Old English. countable, uncountable
"Rankin sanctioned Ayala $3,000 and kicked him off the lawsuit after the lawyer admitted incorporating the hallucinated AI-generated cases in the brief. Morgan and Goody were sanctioned $1,000 each."
- 2 A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage countable, uncountable
- 3 An unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"You're keeping up this Mr. Goody Two-Shoes act just fine, but mark my words: nobody's this perfect."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "goody"?
Common synonyms include: treat, advantage, affected, ambrosia, benefit, better half.
How do you use "goody" in a sentence?
You're keeping up this Mr. Goody Two-Shoes act just fine, but mark my words: nobody's this perfect.
How do you pronounce "goody"?
Pronounced /ˈɡʊdi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From good + -y (suffix forming colloquialisms), influenced by the noun (Etymology 2).
Etymology 2
From good + -y (nominal suffix).
Etymology 3
From good + -y (adjectival suffix).
Etymology 4
Clipping of goodwife + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare hussy from housewife, the obsolete pronunciation /ˈmɪdɪf/ of midwife, and less directly, missus from mistress.
Etymology 5
From Middle English Godeve (female given name), from Old English Godġifu (female given name), from god + ġifu. Doublet of Godiva.