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Synonyms

goody-goody

American  
[good-ee-good-ee] / ˈgʊd iˈgʊd i /

noun

plural

goody-goodies

  1. a person who is self-righteously, affectedly, or cloyingly good.

adjective

  1. self-righteously or cloyingly good; affecting goodness.

goody-goody British  

noun

  1. a smugly virtuous or sanctimonious person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. smug and sanctimonious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of goody-goody

First recorded in 1870–75; reduplication of goody 2

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.

Even non-comic book fans know that the hero born Kal-El on Krypton was always a goody-goody who stood up to bullies and protected the downtrodden.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

“I’ve been fighting that goody-goody stuff for years, because if you let people make you out to be perfect there just ain’t no margin for error,” he told his children.

From New York Times • Aug. 8, 2021

I was more of a goody-goody, more than people would expect.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2017

It’s drive-in, drive-through and road-trip season, and especially on sunny days, sometimes food doesn’t have to be goody-goody to be good.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2017

Maybe, it’ll teach her not to be such a goody-goody.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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.