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goldilocks

[ gohl-dee-loks ]

/ ˈgoʊl diˌlɒks /

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noun, plural gold·i·locks.

(used with a singular verb) a person with golden hair.

adjective

(usually initial capital letter) not being extreme or not varying drastically between extremes, especially between hot and cold: a Goldilocks economy that is neither overheated nor too cold to cause a recession; a goldilocks planet such as Earth.See also Goldilocks zone.

Words nearby goldilocks

goldfish, goldfish bowl, goldflam disease, goldi, goldie's fern, goldilocks, goldilocks zone, golding, goldman, goldmark, goldminer

Origin of goldilocks

1540–50; obsolete goldy golden + lock² + -s³; from the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which the golden-haired Goldilocks rejects uncomfortable extremes, as porridge that is too hot or too cold

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for goldilocks

She is not too hot or too cold, but just right, the Goldilocks of Fed chairs.
Janet Yellen Won’t Change the Fed|Russ Roberts|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This sort of calculation—not too hot, not too cold—is better left to Goldilocks.
Is Obama Going to War Just to ‘Check the Box’?|Lloyd Green|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It afforded the president the Goldilocks alternative in his next debate, where he can cast his attacks in just the right tone.
Joe Biden vs. Paul Ryan: the Yin and Yang Debate|Brett O’Donnell|October 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Atlantic, 3,000 miles across, became a kind of Goldilocks Ocean, not too big and not too small.
Why the West Rules—For Now|Ian Morris|December 25, 2010|DAILY BEAST

This year, the theme was "Just Right," inspired loosely on the story of Goldilocks.
Live From Art Basel|Isabel Wilkinson|December 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Thenceforth a while of time there wore, And Goldilocks came forth no more.
Poems by the Way|William Morris
Princess Goldilocks, may I speak to you on a matter of some importance to me?
Second Plays|A. A. Milne
But Goldilocks appeared in the midst of them, with her shining hair, violet eyes, and laugh like the music of a spring robin.
Fairy Book|Sophie May
Finally, there was the film of the adoption of Goldilocks and Cinderella.
Little Fuzzy|Henry Beam Piper
Well, Goldilocks, you must not put chairs out of their places!
Dramatic Reader for Lower Grades|Florence Holbrook

British Dictionary definitions for goldilocks

goldilocks

/ (ˈɡəʊldɪˌlɒks) /

noun (functioning as singular)

a Eurasian plant, Aster linosyris (or Linosyris vulgaris), with clusters of small yellow flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

a Eurasian ranunculaceous woodland plant, Ranunculus auricomus, with yellow flowersSee also buttercup

(sometimes capital) a person, esp a girl, with light blond hair

(modifier; sometimes capital) not prone to extremes of temperature, volatility, etca goldilocks planet; a goldilocks economy

Word Origin for goldilocks

(for sense 4): C20: from the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which the heroine prefers the porridge that is neither too hot nor too cold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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