goodness gracious
11
7.5
- idiom
- /ˈɡʊdnəs ˈɡreɪʃəs/
- Archaic
- Oh my goodness gracious, look at this beast.
- Oh, goodness gracious
- Goodness gracious, yes
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Watch on YouTubeWell, goodness gracious, does this do something right.
- Well, goodness gracious, does this do something right.
- Anyway, Oh my goodness gracious me.
- This is like the best invention in the entire Oh my goodness gracious.
- We got the lush setting, we got the audio, and we got the Oh my God, Oh my goodness gracious.
- I got to tell you goodness gracious, but we won't go there.
- God damn goodness gracious me, my heavens, lordy me.
- Now I'm taking my kids for a walk, then I'm going cycling, then I'm going to the beach, then I'm doing this, then I'm doing that, then I'm doing, Oh my goodness gracious.
Examples
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OK, well, goodness gracious, we're screwed.
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And wow, goodness gracious, that is possibly the funkiest, most cosmic cactus that I have ever seen.
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All right, goodness gracious, I just got to get better up here.
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Next morning you wake up and said, my goodness gracious, what have I done, right?
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Anyway, Oh my goodness gracious me.
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Well, goodness gracious, does this do something right.
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And I thought, my goodness gracious, this, this really the way to live.
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Goodness gracious, here I go again with the 5 stars!
Blog text (23) -
Goodness gracious, look at this messy thing.
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goodness gracious, I can't believe we actually won the game!
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A short word people say to show surprise or admiration
∞
8.9
An angry or surprised question showing you do not believe something
265
7.0
To show surprise, shock or disbelief in a mild, polite way
169
9.9
A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked
147
8.9
A short cry to show surprise, confusion, disbelief, or casual acceptance
86
8.2
An exclamation that shows strong surprise or shock
80
2.6
Words people say when they are surprised to see something
63
9.9
A word people say to show mild surprise
52
9.4
A short sound people say to show surprise or admiration
47
9.9
Adds strong anger or surprise to what you say
35
9.6
To say when you are very surprised or shocked
29
7.6
A short phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief
29
9.4
A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling
16
8.3
A short sound people say to show surprise or excitement
14
8.2
A short cry to show strong surprise or admiration
10
9.5
A short word people say when they are surprised or shocked
9
9.9
A short sound people make to show surprise or admiration
7
9.9
A short informal word people say when they feel surprise, shock, or annoyance
7
9.9
An old word people say to show surprise or shock
6
7.7
A short phrase people say to show surprise, shock, or admiration
6
8.6
Words people say to show relief, joy or surprise
5
6.7
A short cry people say when they are very surprised
4
6.1
Often comes before a word to show anger or surprise
3
9.6
A short surprised phrase people say when they are shocked
2
9.9
An old expression showing surprise or shock
2
9.9
An old-fashioned shout said to show surprise or shock
2
9.9
An informal word people say to show surprise, annoyance, or that they do not believe something
1
8.4
A short sound people make when they suddenly understand something
1
9.9
A friendly phrase people say to show surprise or excitement
1
9.9
A short old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
1
9.1
A soft sound you make when something feels good or brings relief
1
9.9
A short shout that shows surprise or shock
1
9.6
To show surprise or doubt
1
9.9
A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something
1
9.9
A strong spoken reaction showing surprise and disbelief
1
9.9
A strong cry showing surprise or shock
1
9.9
A short phrase people say to show surprise at something amazing
1
9.9
A loud informal shout that shows surprise, shock, or strong annoyance
1
8.7
A quiet sound people make when they are surprised or impressed
To say or write a short exclamation to show surprise
A short shout to show surprise or amazement
A word people say to show strong surprise
A short cry of surprise when something is hard to believe
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
goodness + gracious
This is a conventional exclamation where 'goodness' is already used as a mild interjection and 'gracious' acts like an intensifier; a learner who knows both words would get a partial clue that the phrase is exclamatory. However, the expression is formulaic and its pragmatic force and fixed pairing are not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so prior exposure is needed for the exact meaning and usage.
Etymology
Goodness gracious comes from people using mild words instead of stronger religious shouts. Saying goodness and gracious was a polite way to mean 'good God' when someone wanted to show 'surprise' without offending others, so today it is used to show 'surprise' or 'shock'.