[good] adj bet.ter ; best [ME, fr. OE god; akin to OHG guot good, Skt gadhya what one clings to] (bef. 12c) 1 a (1): of a favorable character or tendency "~ news" (2): bountiful, fertile "~ land" (3): handsome, attractive "~ looks" b (1): suitable, fit "~ to eat" (2): free from injury or disease "one ~ arm" (3): not depreciated "bad money drives out ~" (4): commercially sound "a ~ risk" (5): that can be relied on "~ for another year" "~ for a hundred dollars" "always ~ for a laugh" (6): profitable, advantageous "made a very ~ deal" c (1): agreeable, pleasant "had a ~ time" (2): salutary, wholesome "~ for a cold" (3): amusing, clever "a ~ joke" d (1): of a noticeably large size or quantity: considerable "won by a ~ margin" "a ~ bit of the time" (2): full "waited a ~ hour" (3)--used as an intensive "a ~ many of us" e (1): well-founded, cogent "~ reasons" (2): true "holds ~ for society at large" (3): deserving of respect: honorable "in ~ standing" (4): legally valid or effectual "~ title" f (1): adequate, satisfactory "~ care"--often used in faint praise "his serve is only ~ --Frank Deford" (2): conforming to a standard "~ English" (3): choice, discriminating "~ taste" (4): containing less fat and being less tender than higher grades--used of meat and esp. of beef
2. a (1): virtuous, right, commendable "a ~ person" "~ conduct" (2): kind, benevolent "~ intentions" b: upper-class "a ~ family" c: competent, skillful "a ~ doctor" d (1): loyal "a ~ party man" "a ~ Catholic" (2): close "a ~ friend" e: free from infirmity or sorrow "I feel ~" -- good.ish adj -- as good as : in effect: virtually "as good as dead" -- as good as gold 1: of the highest worth or reliability "his promise is as good as gold"
2: well-behaved "the child was as good as gold" -- good and : very, entirely "was good and mad" usage An old notion that it is wrong to say "I feel good" in reference to health still occas. appears in print. The origins of this notion, which goes back to the turn of the century, are obscure, but they seem to combine someone's idea that good should be reserved to describe virtue and uncertainty about whether an adverb or an adjective should follow feel. Today nearly everyone agrees that both good and well can be predicate adjectives after feel. Both are used to express good health, but good may connote good spirits in addition to good health.
[2]good n (bef. 12c) 1 a: something that is good b (1): something conforming to the moral order of the universe (2): praiseworthy character: goodness c: a good element or portion
2. a: advancement of prosperity or well-being "the ~ of the community" "it's for your own ~" b: something useful or beneficial "it's no ~ trying" 3 a: something that has economic utility or satisfies an economic want b pl: personal property having intrinsic value but usu. excluding money, securities, and negotiable instruments c pl: cloth d pl: something manufactured or produced for sale: wares, merchandise "canned ~s" e pl, Brit: freight
4: good persons--used with the
5. pl a: the qualities required to achieve an end b: proof of wrongdoing "didn't have the ~s on him --T. G. Cooke" -- for good also for good and all : forever, permanently -- in good with : in a favored position with -- to the good 1: for the best: beneficial "efforts to restrict credit were all to the good --Time"
2: in a position of net gain or profit "wound up $10 to the good" [3]good adv (13c) 1: well "he showed me how ~ I was doing --Herbert Gold" 2--used as an intensive "a ~ 200 pounds" "a ~ long time" usage Adverbial good has been under attack from the schoolroom since the 19th century. Insistence on well rather than good has resulted in a split in connotation: well is standard, neutral, and colorless, while good is emotionally charged and emphatic. This makes good the adverb of choice in sports ""I'm seeing the ball real good" is what you hear --Roger Angell". In such contexts as "listen up. And listen good --Alex Karras" "lets fly with his tomatoes before they can flee. He gets Clarence good --Charles Dickinson" good cannot be adequately replaced by well. Adverbial good is primarily a spoken form; in writing it occurs in reported and fictional speech and in generally familiar or informal contexts.