good | meaning of good in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
good
good
1
/
ɡʊd
/
●●●
S1
W1
adjective
(
comparative
better
/
ˈbetə
$
-ər
/
,
superlative
best
/
best
/
)
1
of a high standard
GOOD/EXCELLENT
of a high standard or quality
OPP
bad
,
poor
a good hotel
good quality cloth
The train service is not very good.
My French is better than my Spanish.
You’ll receive the best medical treatment.
His qualifications aren’t
good enough
.
►
see
thesaurus
at
bright
2
skilful
GOOD AT
able to do something well
She’s a very good player.
Do you know a good builder?
good at (doing) something
Alex is very good at languages.
She’s good at making things.
good with
As a politician, you need to be
good with words
(=
skilful at using words
)
.
He’s very
good with people
(=
skilful at dealing with people
)
.
do/make a good job (of doing something)
(=
do something well
)
Mike’s done a good job of painting the windows.
3
what you want
GOOD/EXCELLENT
used about something that is what you want or happens in the way that you want
OPP
bad
That’s
good news
!
I need a bit of
good luck
.
4
pleasant/enjoyable
ENJOY/LIKE DOING something
pleasant and enjoyable
it’s good to do something
It’s good to see you again.
have a good time/day/weekend etc
Did you have a good vacation?
That was
good fun
.
5
successful/correct
GOOD/EXCELLENT
likely to be successful or correct
She’s full of
good ideas
.
Well, can you think of a better plan?
What’s
the best way
to deal with this?
The police have a
pretty good idea
who did it.
I’m not sure, but I could make
a good guess
.
6
suitable
suitable or convenient
Is this a
good time
to talk to you?
It was a good place to rest.
good for (doing) something
It’s a good day for going to the beach.
be good for somebody
especially American English
Ten o’clock is good for me.
7
useful
useful or helpful
OPP
bad
Do you want some
good advice
?
The best thing
you can do is wait here.
You should
make good use of
your time.
8
behaving well
POLITE
behaving well and not causing any trouble – used especially about a child
SYN
well-behaved
OPP
naughty
She’s such a good baby.
The kids were
as good as gold
(=
very good
)
.
→
be on your best behaviour
9
making you healthy
likely to make you healthy, either physically or mentally
OPP
bad
good for
Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for you.
Watching too much TV isn’t good for you.
good to eat/drink
They have to learn which wild foods are good to eat.
10
improving something
likely to improve the condition of something
OPP
bad
good for
products that are good for the environment
The publicity has been good for business.
11
physically well
[
used especially in negatives and comparatives
]
HEALTHY
healthy or well
‘How are you?’ ‘Better, thanks.’
Lyn’s not
feeling
too
good
today.
12
not damaged or weak
GOOD/EXCELLENT
if the condition of something is good, it is not damaged or weak
in good condition/shape
It’s in pretty good condition for an old car.
Boris had always kept his body in good shape.
The Chancellor announced that the economy is in good shape.
Once the boat’s repaired, it’ll be
as good as new
(=
in perfect condition
)
.
somebody’s good eye/arm/leg etc
(=
the one that is not damaged
)
He sat up, supporting himself on his good arm.
13
kind
KIND
kind and understanding about what other people need or want
good about
Dad lent me the money. He was very good about it.
it/that/this is good of somebody
It was good of him to offer you a lift.
The company’s always
been
very
good to
me.
►
see
thesaurus
at
kind
14
morally right
GOOD/MORAL
behaving correctly or being right according to accepted moral standards
OPP
bad
a good man
I try to be good, but it isn’t always easy.
Well, that’s my
good deed for the day
(=
something good you try to do for someone else every day
)
.
I’m on the side of the
good guys
(=
people who behave in a morally right way, for example in a film
)
.
15
large
LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT
large in amount, size, range etc
→
goodish
We’ve had a good crop of apples.
There’s a good range of leisure facilities.
I’d been waiting
a good while
(=
a fairly long time
)
.
Our team has
a good chance
of winning
(=
is fairly likely to win
)
.
16
reasonable price
a good price is reasonable and not expensive
Thirty dollars sounds like a good price to me.
17
completely/thoroughly
COMPLETE
[
only before noun
]
doing something for a long time, so that you do it completely and thoroughly
You need
a good rest
.
Take a good look
at it.
She sat down and
had a good cry
.
This time he waited until he was
good and ready
(=
completely ready
)
.
18
→
a good deal
20
→
good for something
22
→
as good as
26
→
in your own good time
30
→
be as good as your word
33
→
have a good thing going
34
→
be onto a good thing
35
→
make good
37
→
make good your escape
38
→
the good life
39
→
the good old days
40
→
good works
42
→
good Samaritan
43
→
the good book
USAGE: Good, well
•
Good
is an adjective in standard English.
Well
is an adverb:
She’s a good player.
The team played well.
•
You will sometimes hear people say ‘The team played good’, especially in American English, but this is a non-standard use.
•
The comparative form of both
good
and
well
is
better
:
His first book was better.
We’ll play better next time.
•
The superlative form of both
good
and
well
is
best
:
Who is the best singer?
How could this best be achieved?
THESAURUS
good
of a high standard or quality
I’ve just read a really good book.
My French is not very good.
nice
Nice
is very
pleasant and enjoyable.is very common in spoken English. In written English, it is better to use other words
I hope you have a nice vacation.
It will be nice to see you again.
good quality/high quality
well made from good materials
If you buy good quality shoes, they last much longer.
high-quality wallpapers
fine
used for describing things of a very high quality, or weather with no rain and clear skies
The restaurant serves the finest food in Florence.
If it’s fine tomorrow, we’ll go for a walk.
neat
American English
spoken
good – used when you like something
That’s a neat idea.
They sell some really neat stuff.
attractive
an attractive offer, course of action etc seems good and makes you want to accept it or do it
Going home for dinner was a more
attractive proposition
than completing his run.
Buying direct from the manufacturer seems the most
attractive option
.
impressive
something that is impressive is good in a way that makes people admire it
an impressive achievement
It was a very impressive performance.
extremely good
excellent/superb
extremely good
Your English is excellent.
She’s a superb teacher.
great/wonderful/terrific/fantastic
especially spoken
extremely good
It’s a great film.
Her cooking is wonderful.
That’s a terrific idea!
brilliant
British English
especially spoken
extremely good
The play was absolutely brilliant.
amazing/incredible
extremely good, in a surprising and exciting way
New York is an amazing place.
The skating has been incredible in this competition.
beautiful/glorious
used about weather that is very pleasant and sunny
It’s a beautiful day.
The weather was just glorious.
outstanding/first-class/top-quality
much better than other places, people etc
an outstanding performance
The service is always first-class.
exceptional
unusually good
Occasionally, we get a student with exceptional talent.
a woman of exceptional beauty
awesome
especially American English
informal
very good
The movie was awesome.
be out of this world
spoken
to be extremely good
Their chocolate cake is just out of this world!
