goodwill

American  

[good-wil] / ˈgʊdˈwɪl /

Or good will

noun

1. friendly disposition; benevolence; kindness.

   Synonyms:

   friendliness

2. cheerful acquiescence or consent.

3. Commerce. an intangible, saleable asset arising from the reputation of a business and its relations with its customers, distinct from the value of its stock and other tangible assets.

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goodwill British  

/ ˌɡʊdˈwɪl /

noun

1. a feeling of benevolence, approval, and kindly interest

2. (modifier) resulting from, showing, or designed to show goodwill

   the government sent a goodwill mission to Moscow

   a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF

3. willingness or acquiescence

4. accounting an intangible asset taken into account in assessing the value of an enterprise and reflecting its commercial reputation, customer connections, etc

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Synonym Usage

See favor.

Etymology

Origin of goodwill

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English gōd willa. See good, will ²

Explanation

Use the noun goodwill just the way it sounds, to describe friendliness or helpfulness. Giving your subway seat to an elderly man is a gesture of goodwill. Goodwill can also be spelled as two separate words, good will, but either way it joins good, from the Old English word for "virtuous," god, and will, in Old English willa, or "wish." So when you wish someone well — when you feel friendly or compassionate — you have goodwill toward that person.

Example Sentences

There are 155 local Goodwill organizations across the U.S. and Canada, independent nonprofits.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

Turner created the Goodwill Games in the 1980s as part of an effort to ease international tensions during the Cold War, amid Olympic boycotts led by the United States and Soviet Union.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

And this influencer, with a sharp blond bob and glass skin, is trying on jackets at a small-town Goodwill, where the merchandise has not yet been eviscerated by other consumers completing their own “hauls.”

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2026

The Glendale outpost is located at the site of a former Goodwill, according to Google Street View history.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

Why should we give to Goodwill when there are so many people back home who need clothes?

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat