goddess
Americannoun
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goddesses
plural
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a female god or deity.
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Also called Triple Goddess. Goddess. (in Neopaganism) a triune female deity whose individual forms represent the different phases of life and growth.
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a woman of extraordinary beauty and charm.
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a greatly admired or adored woman.
a domestic goddess who hosts lavish dinner parties.
noun
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a female divinity
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a woman who is adored or idealized, esp by a man
Gender
See -ess .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of goddess
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; see origin at god , -ess
Explanation
In mythology, a goddess is a female god. Aphrodite, for example, is the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Many religions have female deities or goddesses, including the ancient Romans and Greeks, traditional African religions, and Hinduism. Some well-known goddesses include Juno, Gaia, and Lakshmi. If you know a woman who seems as beautiful, powerful, or amazing as a god, you can also call her a goddess. Using the word for mortals first came into fashion in the late 16th century.
Vocabulary lists containing goddess
World Religions
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Reading: Literature - Mythology - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Mythology - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She went on to become an icon, legend, goddess and what they were calling her all over social media, the earth angel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Her novel “Blonde” also stripped the agency from love goddess Marilyn Monroe and its own 2022 movie adaptation launched a thousand hot takes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The future of the imperial household -- mythically descended from the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu -- depends currently on Prince Hisahito, the 19-year-old nephew of Emperor Naruhito, 66.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
"You can call a goddess on one of these phones when you really need help," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Near the feet of each god or goddess was an animal meant to represent them—a heron, a crocodile, a jackal, a serpent, a dove, and a hippo.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Go the Capitol rotunda and look up at the dome, where Constantino Brumidi’s fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted during the Civil War, shows Washington in heaven, flanked by goddesses.
From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2026
“They are treated as gods and goddesses and put on pedestals for searching for and ‘representing’ truth and knowledge and recognizing and being proud of who they are and where they come from.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
On television it was, therefore, an age of mothers — wise domestic goddesses whose energies were turned largely toward the raising of children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025
It treats its female protagonists like full human beings instead of objects, or girlbossed-beyond-personhood goddesses, or a pile of tropes that AI would compile.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2025
Aru always liked lying down in the panorama theater where it was cold and dark and silent, watching the stories of the gods and goddesses rotate around her.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
