goodly

adjective good·ly \ ˈgu̇d-lē \

Definition of goodly

goodlier; goodliest

1 : pleasantly attractive

2 : significantly large : considerable

a goodly number

See goodly defined for English-language learners

See goodly defined for kids

Examples of goodly in a Sentence

$10,000 is a goodly reward to offer for a missing wedding ring
a goodly number of people gathered to watch the spectacle

Recent Examples of goodly from the Web

A goodly number of shoppers bring their smiling dogs, eager to be petted.

— kerry schmidt, kansascity.com, "Stuff I like: Gates barbecue sauce, White Castle, oldies, the Cardinals — and Royals," 30 June 2017
That’s because customers pay only a portion of the fares shown on their Uber smartphone apps; much, if not most, of the cost is covered by the company’s venture investors — that’s where a goodly portion of their investments has been burned up.

— michael hiltzik, chicagotribune.com, "With Travis Kalanick out, we'll see the real value of Uber — and it won't be pretty," 21 June 2017
There are a goodly number of Chicano students at UCSD — and students who identify themselves with other Latin-American cultural traditions — who attend our performances.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New UCSD ArtPower season to showcase multicultural artists, messages," 11 June 2017
A goodly share of its production cost was pumped into its state-of-the-art special effects.

— soren andersen, The Seattle Times, "Visual-effects wizard looks back as ‘Terminator 2’ returns in 3D," 21 Aug. 2017
As night follows day, Democrats went apoplectic over Comey’s ouster, aiming a goodly amount of their wrath at Rosenstein.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "Trump Has Himself, Not Sessions, to Blame for the Limitless Mueller Investigation," 22 July 2017
The ducks will join a goodly number of their relatives that have already made the jump down the Central Flyway to Texas.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Conditions come together for a bountiful waterfowl season," 28 Oct. 2017
The three senators receiving an offer of help from Trump are a goodly portion of the incumbents under fire from Bannon.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Will It Be Trump Versus Bannon in 2018 Senate Primaries?," 19 Oct. 2017
Once upon a time, people went to Tryall and remained there for a goodly spell.

— Town & Country, "Take the Money and Run," 6 Dec. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'goodly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of goodly

before 12th century

goodly Synonyms

Synonyms

big, biggish, boxcar, bulky, considerable, large, grand, great, handsome, hefty, hulking, husky, largish, outsize (also outsized), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, tidy, voluminous

Antonyms

bantam, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, little, puny, shrimpy, small, smallish, undersized (also undersize)

Near Antonyms

diminutive, half-pint, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little-bitty, microminiature, microscopic (also microscopical), mini, miniature, minuscule, minute, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket-size (also pocket-sized), pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee; petite, slender, slight, slim, thin

GOODLY Defined for English Language Learners

goodly

adjective

Definition of goodly for English Language Learners

: large in size or amount

GOODLY Defined for Kids

goodly

adjective good·ly \ ˈgu̇d-lē \

Definition of goodly for Students

goodlier; goodliest

1 : of pleasing appearance

But after a while she finds that beneath this goodly exterior, all is vanity …
—Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer

2 : large, considerable

a goodly amount

Learn More about goodly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for goodly Spanish Central: Translation of goodly Nglish: Translation of goodly for Spanish speakers

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GOODLY Defined for English Language Learners

goodly

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