goody
1 Americannoun
-
goodies
plural
-
Usually goodies. something especially attractive or pleasing, especially cake, cookies, or candy.
-
something that causes delight or satisfaction.
A record collector played some goodies for me on his phonograph.
interjection
adjective
noun
-
goodies
plural
interjection
noun
-
short for goody-goody
-
informal the hero in a film, book, etc
-
something particularly pleasant to have or (often) to eat See also goodies
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goody1
First recorded in 1740–50; good + -y 2, as noun suffix
Origin of goody2
First recorded in 1805–15; apparently good + -y 2, with attenuating or pejorative value, probably influenced by goody two shoes
Origin of goody3
First recorded in 1550–60; good(wife) + -y 2; cf. hussy
Explanation
A goody is a special treat, especially one you can eat. Sometimes kids judge the quality of a birthday party by the goody bag they leave with. When you're a kid, a highlight of other people's birthday parties is the goody bag, a gift of small toys and edible treats. If you celebrate Christmas, you probably get goodies in your stocking, and for Easter some lucky children receive baskets full of goodies. Goody, which since the 18th century has meant "something tasty," can also be used as an exclamation meaning "hooray:" "Oh goody, it's the ice cream man!"
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.
See Examples For:
And it picked out age- and theme-appropriate goody bags for the kids to take home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Liquid IV is paying for its packets to pop up inside bridesmaid goody bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Contrary to most stars who worshipfully gush about the exclusive goody on Instagram or rave about it during late-night appearances, Deborah leaves the untouched sweet where it probably was when she arrived.
From Salon ● May 7, 2024
When Fiona McArthur started to make chocolate from her friend's kitchen in 2020 she dreamed of seeing them in the famous Oscars goody bag.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2024
I gather up my towel and goody bag, then lean forward to thank Amanda’s parents.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
In Italy, zucchini is among the fried goodies that often start a meal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Some items boosted only incrementally by a percentage point or so, while other snacks and goodies jumped as much as 25%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Once, video games came with lots of physical goodies, such as guides, maps and manuals.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
What New Yorkers definitely are doing is buying tickets, concessions, merchandise, and other goodies at Madison Square Garden.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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.
