goodness gracious

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

goodness gracious

I wish to goodness gracious that PBS were in a position to do that.

From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2025

Katie Hafner: So Lillian, oh my goodness gracious.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

“The future of our American miracle is on the line in a way that I have not seen since, goodness gracious, since maybe I was in high school,” Mr. Pompeo said.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

“That’s huge in Montana — my goodness gracious, we’re like 44th in family income,” he said.

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2020

"O goodness gracious me, you are certainly quite crazy," said Käthe, "I will tell my mother of you!"

From Fairy Tales from the German Forests by Arndt, Margaret