goldilocks

American  

[gohl-dee-loks] / ˈgoʊl diˌlɒks /

noun

goldilocks plural

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

---

adjective

1. (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.

goldilocks British  

/ ˈɡəʊldɪˌlɒks /

noun

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

2. a Eurasian ranunculaceous woodland plant, Ranunculus auricomus, with yellow flowers See also buttercup

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

4. (modifier; sometimes capital) not prone to extremes of temperature, volatility, etc

   a goldilocks planet

   a goldilocks economy

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• goldilocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of goldilocks

1540–50; obsolete goldy golden + lock ² + -s ³; 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

Example Sentences

Others credit Becerra’s mild temperament, describing him as a steady figure — the Goldilocks candidate in a field of competitors who weren’t just right.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

After chatting with my financial adviser, we agreed that making a $200 student-loan payment each month is a Goldilocks approach for me right now.

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

The team also found that other planets, including Mars, formed under oxygen conditions outside this Goldilocks zone.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

Barnum gradually expanded these gardens to include museums and theaters, where families could do everything from gawking at unusual people or animals to watching performances of fairy-tale characters like Aladdin or Goldilocks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Cosmologists in their lighter moments sometimes call this the Goldilocks effect–that everything is just right.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson