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Good

adj. kind, capable everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Producing a welcome, useful, or satisfying result.

Reach for it when giving broad positive approval to a thing, plan, experience, or outcome

A good explanation tells readers what to do next.

Meaning 2

Skilled or effective at a particular activity.

Reach for it when praising demonstrated ability without claiming exceptional mastery

He is good at translating technical warnings into plain language.

Meaning 3

Kind, honorable, or morally responsible in conduct.

Reach for it when describing character or an action guided by care and sound principles

A good neighbor returned the lost wallet without opening it.

Words to choose between 9

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2Meaning 3
everyday
  • Good (this word)
  • Good (this word)
warm
  • Good (this word)
  • kind
professional
formal

Meaning 1: Producing a welcome, useful, or satisfying result.

  • warm

    enjoyable

    Fits when the positive judgment comes from pleasure

    Careful Enjoyable says nothing about usefulness, ethics, or craftsmanship.

  • professional

    beneficial

    Fits when evidence shows a positive effect

    Careful Beneficial can be useful without being enjoyable or well made.

  • professional

    excellent

    Fits when quality clearly rises above ordinary approval

    Careful Do not inflate a merely satisfactory result into excellence.

Meaning 2: Skilled or effective at a particular activity.

  • warm

    talented

    Fits when natural aptitude is what impressed you

    Careful Talent should not replace praise for learned discipline without evidence.

  • professional

    capable

    Fits when reliable ability matters more than flair

    Careful Capable can indicate potential even before strong performance is shown.

  • professional

    skilled

    Fits when training and execution justify the praise

    Careful Skilled is narrower than being generally good at a role.

Meaning 3: Kind, honorable, or morally responsible in conduct.

  • everyday

    decent

    Fits when basic humane character deserves understated approval

    Careful Decent can sound faint or grudging in a tribute.

  • warm

    kind

    Fits when care for other people is the moral quality you mean

    Careful Kind is too narrow if the praise concerns honesty or courage.

  • formal

    principled

    Fits when consistent moral standards guide difficult choices

    Careful A principled person can be stern and is not automatically benevolent.

Opposites 4

  • bad
  • poor
  • unskilled
  • wicked

Common phrases 3

  • good result

    A good result would reopen two classrooms before September.

  • good at

    She is good at noticing when quieter participants want to speak.

  • good person

    A good person can admit harm and make a practical repair.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Association Shtooka, Judith Franck, British accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 US Updated