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my goodness

American

[mahy good-nis] / ˌmaɪ ˈgʊd nɪs /

Sometimes my goodness gracious also oh my goodness

interjection

(used as an interjection to express surprise, excitement, mild alarm, etc.).

My goodness, how the time has flown!
Top that with rich, pungent blue cheese and, oh my goodness, I can't even begin to describe the flavor.

Etymology

Origin of my goodness

First recorded in 1760–70

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.

"They must be from above smiling down on you and thinking, my goodness me, what a wonderful, wonderful father, husband, sister," she added.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

“One of the Somali girls’ hijabs will fall off and all of the girls are like, ‘Oh, my goodness, let’s help her.’

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

"Oh my goodness, it worked, it's amazing it's finally been updated," she tells the BBC.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Said Clark: “Oh my goodness, Noah came through.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2025

Fighting with her dead sister over a beau, my goodness.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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