goodness gracious

Idioms

Also, good gracious; gracious sakes. Exclamation of surprise, dismay, or alarm, as in Goodness gracious! You've forgotten your ticket. Both goodness and gracious originally alluded to the good (or grace) of God, but these colloquial expressions, which date from the 1700s, are not considered either vulgar or blasphemous.

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.

I wish to goodness gracious that PBS were in a position to do that.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2025

Katie Hafner: So Lillian, oh my goodness gracious.

From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2023

“The future of our American miracle is on the line in a way that I have not seen since, goodness gracious, since maybe I was in high school,” Mr. Pompeo said.

From Washington Times • Mar. 3, 2023

“Oh, my, goodness gracious, that’s a new one,” said Steven Zirinsky, the co-chairman of the Building Codes Committee at the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2022

“Oh, my goodness, gracious, sakes alive!” she cried.

From Patty's Social Season by Wells, Carolyn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023