goodwill
Americannoun
-
friendly disposition; benevolence; kindness.
- Synonyms:
- friendliness
-
cheerful acquiescence or consent.
-
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.
noun
-
a feeling of benevolence, approval, and kindly interest
-
(modifier) resulting from, showing, or designed to show goodwill
the government sent a goodwill mission to Moscow
a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF
-
willingness or acquiescence
-
accounting an intangible asset taken into account in assessing the value of an enterprise and reflecting its commercial reputation, customer connections, etc
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.
Vocabulary lists containing goodwill
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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Inside Out & Back Again
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Bodega Dreams
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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.
Mike Trout could not stop smiling, mirroring the optimism and goodwill at Angel Stadium on the day Stan Kroenke announced a deal to buy the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
As of June 30, Boeing said the identifiable assets’ fair value was $1.9 billion less than the combined liabilities, and it boosted the goodwill to $10.3 billion, which exceeded Boeing’s total equity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
If Kroenke is looking for immediate goodwill in Anaheim, pulling on an Anaheim Angels cap and announcing the return of that team name would do it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
"The floods are now his first major test of whether that goodwill can survive a genuine crisis," Braun said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
It was the one day when the authorities showed any goodwill toward men.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
