Goodly
What it means
Considerable, attractive, or admirable in amount or quality.
Reach for it when using an old-fashioned word for a pleasingly substantial quantity
The orchard produced a goodly supply of plums.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
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playful
quite a haul
Fits when informal speech celebrates a large collection or yield
Careful The phrase fits gathered goods and not abstract merit or beauty.
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everyday
sizeable
Fits when plain language should mark notable extent
Careful Sizeable is descriptive and says nothing about quality.
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warm
Fits when there is comfortably enough for the purpose
Careful Ample concerns sufficiency, while goodly may simply mean large.
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professional
substantial
Fits when amount or importance is measurably significant
Careful Substantial is neutral and lacks goodly's approving traditional flavor.
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formal
considerable
Fits when the quantity deserves notice without exact measurement
Careful Considerable does not itself say the amount is welcome.
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literary
Fits when an amount is pleasingly generous or appearance is well proportioned
Careful Handsome is idiomatic only with certain nouns and can sound dated.
Opposites 3
- meager
- paltry
- small
Common phrases 3
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goodly number
A goodly number of residents attended despite the rain.
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goodly sum
The concert raised a goodly sum for roof repairs.
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goodly supply
A goodly supply of apples remained for the community kitchen.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Goodly is old-fashioned and sometimes ambiguous between attractive and large. Substantial or ample is usually clearer.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated