Synonyms

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.

In response, Mr Blackford told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "Goodness gracious, absolutely not. There is no reason for that at all."

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2023

Goodness gracious, Coach would have really loved it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2021

Goodness gracious, they frittered away Games 3 and 4 to Tampa.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2018

Goodness gracious does this man love him "some ice cream", Haagen-Dazs in particular.

From Golf Digest • Jan. 31, 2018

Goodness gracious, two weeks from now I may be too tired to go!”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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