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goodwill

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goodwill¹

  • /ˌɡʊdˈwɪl/ Australia, Canada, UK
  • /ˌɡɵdˈwɪl/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˌɡʊdˈwəl/ New Zealand
  • /ˌɡʉdˈwɪl/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English *goodwille, good wille, possibly from Old English *gōdwille (compare gōdwillende (“well-pleased”)). Compare also Scots guidwilly, guidwillie (“displaying goodwill”). By surface analysis, good + will.

Cognate with Scots guidwill (“goodwill”), Middle Low German gūtwille (“goodwill”), Old High German guotwilligi (“goodwill”), Old Danish godvilje (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvilji, góðvili (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvild (“goodness”).

The sense "thrift shop" is a genericized trademark of the US-based chain Goodwill Industries.

noun goodwills · good-will

  1. uncountable, usually A favorably disposed attitude toward someone or something.

    Similar: benevolence

  2. uncountable, usually The value of a business entity not directly attributable to its tangible assets and liabilities, deriving from factors such as consumer loyalty to the brand.
  3. uncountable, usually The ability of an individual or business to exert influence within a community, club, market or another type of group, without having to resort to the use of an asset (such as money or property), either directly or by the creation of a lien.
  4. uncountable, usually The willingness of a worker to perform activities not strictly within the scope of the employment contract and not just work to rule. As Denning MR said in Secretary of State for Employment v ASLEF (No. 2) (1972): 'a man is not bound to do more for his employer than his contract requires. He can withdraw his goodwill if he pleases.'
  5. Canada, US, capitalized, countable, uncommon, usually A thrift shop. Buy from goodwills, garage sales, friends, and neighbors. Choose beautiful, functional, durable items made by craftspeople.

Opposite: ill will

verb goodwills · goodwilling · goodwilled · good-will

  1. transitive To voluntarily provide or cover some or all of the cost of (something) to maintain goodwill. The company goodwilled the cost of the repairs.

Goodwill²

noun Goodwills

  1. Alternative letter-case form of goodwill (“thrift shop”).

proper noun Goodwills

  1. A surname.
  2. A suburb of Roseau, Dominica.
  3. A Free Village in Saint James Parish, Jamaica.
  4. An unincorporated community in Worcester County, Maryland, United States.
  5. An unincorporated community in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States, named after one Mr. Goodwill, the proprietor of a local mine.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: good will, grace, kindness, caring, benevolence, friendly, cordiality, goodness, courtesy, friendliness, mercy, favour, sympathy, greeting, desire, sincerity

noun

Opposite: ill will

Translations

Every language

noun favorably disposed attitude

Españolbuena voluntad, bienquerencia, bienquerer
한국어선의 seonui, 친선 chinseon
日本語善意 zen'i, 親善 shinzen
中文善意 shànyì, 好意 hǎoyì
हिन्दीसौहार्द sauhārd, सद्भाव sadbhāv, हितैषिता hitaiṣitā, हितेच्छा hitecchā
Portuguêsboa vontade
Françaisbonne volonté, bienveillance
Deutschguter Wille
Italianobuona volontà
Ελληνικάκαλή θέληση thélisi, εύνοια évnoia, ευμένεια evméneia
Românăbunăvoință
Русскийдо́брая во́ля dóbraja vólja, доброжела́тельность dobroželátelʹnostʹ, благоволе́ние blagovolénije, благожела́тельность blagoželátelʹnostʹ, благоскло́нность blagosklónnostʹ
עבריתרָצוֹן טוֹב ratsón tov

noun accounting: the value of a business entity not directly attributable to its tangible assets and liabilities

한국어영업권 yeong'eopgwon
日本語暖簾 noren
中文商譽 /商誉 shāngyù
Françaisachalandage, cote d'estime
Deutschideeller Unternehmenswert
Ελληνικάαέρας aéras
Русскийделова́я репута́ция delovája reputácija

noun business: ability of an individual or business to exert influence within a community, club, market or another type of group

中文商譽 /商誉 shāngyù
Françaissurvaleur, écart d'acquisition

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Cite this
MLA

"goodwill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/goodwill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

goodwill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/goodwill

Chicago

"goodwill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/goodwill.

BibTeX
@misc{goodwill_2026,
  title = {goodwill},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/goodwill},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}