goodwill

See also: Goodwill and good-will

English

Alternative forms

• good-will (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English *goodwille, good wille, possibly from Old English *gōdwille (compare gōdwillende (“well-pleased”)). Compare also Scots guidwilly, guidwillie (“displaying goodwill”). By surface analysis, good +‎ will.

Cognate with Scots guidwill (“goodwill”), Middle Low German gūtwille (“goodwill”), Old High German guotwilligi (“goodwill”), Old Danish godvilje (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvilji, góðvili (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvild (“goodness”).

The sense "thrift shop" is a genericized trademark of the US-based chain Goodwill Industries.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɡʊdˈwɪl/, [ˌɡʊdˈwɪl]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪl
• Hyphenation: good‧will

Noun

goodwill (usually uncountable, plural goodwills)

1. A favorably disposed attitude toward someone or something.

   Synonym: benevolence

2. (accounting) The value of a business entity not directly attributable to its tangible assets and liabilities, deriving from factors such as consumer loyalty to the brand.
3. (business) The ability of an individual or business to exert influence within a community, club, market or another type of group, without having to resort to the use of an asset (such as money or property), either directly or by the creation of a lien.
4. (business, trade unionism) The willingness of a worker to perform activities not strictly within the scope of the employment contract and not just work to rule.
   • 2007 [1972], John Duddington, quoting Tom Denning, Baron Denning, Employment Law, Pearson Education, →ISBN, page 101:

     As Denning MR said in Secretary of State for Employment v ASLEF (No. 2) (1972): 'a man is not bound to do more for his employer than his contract requires. He can withdraw his goodwill if he pleases.'

   • 2022 November 16, Graham Eccles, “The Rest Day Working saga...”, in RAIL, number 970, page 32:

     The downside of this cost-saving strategy was that the train service could only be covered by goodwill. Whenever there was a spat between ASLEF and management - regardless of cause - the withdrawal of this goodwill became a stick with which unions could beat management.

5. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (countable, uncommon, usually capitalized, Canada, US) A thrift shop.
   • 1990, Karen Christensen, Home Ecology: Simple and Practical Ways to Green Your Home, Fulcrum Publishing, page 65:

     Buy from goodwills, garage sales, friends, and neighbors. Choose beautiful, functional, durable items made by craftspeople.

   • 2008, Esther Carney, Avenging Angel, zeus, →ISBN, page 445:

     Eventually she made her way onto a train, disguised in a wig and wheeling a pram complete with lifelike baby doll, just purchased from a goodwill store. Everyone seemed to want to look at 'her baby' and she had to pull the blankets over it as far as they would go or suspicions would have been aroused. A woman in a colorful dress who was sitting opposite Angie […]

   • 2025 January 7, Robert Garcia, Died Three Times Lived Once, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

     And I got tired of mom buying me used clothes from a goodwill store. I always thought back then, if Dad wouldn't had drank so much, he could have given mom a little bit more money to clothe us better. I say us, remember I had two sisters, and mom would buy them used clothes, also […]

Antonyms

• ill will

Derived terms

• goodwill ambassador
• goodwiller
• goodwilly

Translations

favorably disposed attitude

• Belarusian: до́брая во́ля f (dóbraja vólja), добразы́члівасць f (dobrazýčlivascʹ)
• Bulgarian: благоскло́нност (bg) f (blagosklónnost), добра́ во́ля f (dobrá vólja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 善意 (zh) (shànyì), 好意 (zh) (hǎoyì)

• Czech: dobrá vůle (cs) f
• Danish: velvilje c
• Dutch: welwillendheid (nl) f, goede wil m
• Esperanto: bonvolo
• Finnish: hyväntahtoisuus (fi), hyvä tahto
• French: bonne volonté (fr) f, bienveillance (fr) f
• German: guter Wille (de) m
• Greek: καλή θέληση (el) f (thélisi), εύνοια (el) f (évnoia), ευμένεια (el) f (evméneia)

  Ancient Greek: εὔνοια f (eúnoia)

• Hebrew: רָצוֹן טוֹב (ratsón tov)
• Hindi: सौहार्द (hi) m (sauhārd), सद्भाव (hi) m (sadbhāv), हितैषिता (hi) f (hitaiṣitā), हितेच्छा (hi) f (hitecchā)
• Hungarian: jóakarat (hu), jóindulat (hu)
• Ido: bonvolo (io)
• Interlingua: bon voler
• Irish: dea-mhéin f
• Italian: buona volontà (it) f
• Japanese: 善意 (ja) (ぜんい, zen'i), 親善 (ja) (しんぜん, shinzen)
• Korean: 선의(善意) (ko) (seonui), 친선(親善) (ko) (chinseon)
• Latin: bona voluntas f
• Macedonian: добра волја f (dobra volja)
• Māori: arohanui
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: velvilje (no) m, tillit (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: velvilje m, tillit m or f

• Polish: dobra wola (pl) f, życzliwość (pl) f, benewolencja f (archaic), łaskawość (pl) f, przychylność (pl) f
• Portuguese: boa vontade f
• Romanian: bunăvoință (ro) f
• Russian: до́брая во́ля f (dóbraja vólja), доброжела́тельность (ru) f (dobroželátelʹnostʹ), благоволе́ние (ru) n (blagovolénije), благожела́тельность (ru) n (blagoželátelʹnostʹ), благоскло́нность (ru) f (blagosklónnostʹ)
• Scots: guidwill
• Scottish Gaelic: gean-math m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: добра воља f

  Latin: dobra volja f

• Slovak: dobrá vôľa f
• Slovene: dobra volja f
• Spanish: buena voluntad f
• Swedish: välvilja (sv) c
• Tagalog: mabuting kalooban
• Ukrainian: до́бра во́ля f (dóbra vólja), добрози́чливість f (dobrozýčlyvistʹ), доброзичли́вість f (dobrozyčlývistʹ)

accounting: the value of a business entity not directly attributable to its tangible assets and liabilities

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 商譽 / 商誉 (zh) (shāngyù)

• Dutch: goodwill (nl) m, goedwil m
• Finnish: liikearvo, goodwill (fi)
• French: achalandage (fr) m, (Canada) cote d'estime f
• German: ideeller Unternehmenswert m
• Greek: αέρας (el) m (aéras)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} érték (hu)
• Irish: cáilmheas m, dea-thoil f
• Japanese: 暖簾 (ja) (のれん, noren)
• Korean: 영업권(營業權) (yeong'eopgwon)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: goodwill m

  Nynorsk: goodwill m

• Polish: renoma (pl) f
• Russian: делова́я репута́ция f (delovája reputácija)
• Swedish: goodwill (sv) c, affärsvärde n (dated)

business: ability of an individual or business to exert influence within a community, club, market or another type of group

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 商譽 / 商誉 (zh) (shāngyù)

• Finnish: vaikutusvalta (fi)
• French: survaleur (fr) f, (Canada) écart d'acquisition m
• Hungarian: befolyásolási képesség
• Irish: cáilmheas m
• Polish: renoma (pl) f
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

thrift shop — see thrift shop

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} дружелю́бие (bg) n (druželjúbie)
• French: ^{(please verify)} bonne volonté, ^{(please verify)} bienveillance (fr)
• Kapampangan: ^{(please verify)} pamiyabe
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} buena voluntad
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} samahan (tl)

Verb

goodwill (third-person singular simple present goodwills, present participle goodwilling, simple past and past participle goodwilled)

1. (transitive) To voluntarily provide or cover some or all of the cost of (something) to maintain goodwill.

   The company goodwilled the cost of the repairs.

See also

• bona fides

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English goodwill.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡut.ʋɪl/, [ˈɡut.ʋɪl], [ˈɡud.wɪl]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: good‧will

Noun

goodwill m (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. goodwill

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English goodwill.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡudwil/, [ˈɡudwil]
• Rhymes: -udwil

Noun

goodwill

1. goodwill (intangible business value)

Declension

Inflection of goodwill (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		goodwill	goodwillit
genitive		goodwillin	goodwillien
partitive		goodwillia	goodwilleja
illative		goodwilliin	goodwilleihin
		singular	plural
nominative		goodwill	goodwillit
accusative	nom.	goodwill	goodwillit
	gen.	goodwillin
genitive		goodwillin	goodwillien
partitive		goodwillia	goodwilleja
inessive		goodwillissa	goodwilleissa
elative		goodwillista	goodwilleista
illative		goodwilliin	goodwilleihin
adessive		goodwillilla	goodwilleilla
ablative		goodwillilta	goodwilleilta
allative		goodwillille	goodwilleille
essive		goodwillina	goodwilleina
translative		goodwilliksi	goodwilleiksi
abessive		goodwillitta	goodwilleitta
instructive		—	goodwillein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of goodwill (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative goodwillini goodwillini accusative nom. goodwillini goodwillini gen. goodwillini genitive goodwillini goodwillieni partitive goodwilliani goodwillejani inessive goodwillissani goodwilleissani elative goodwillistani goodwilleistani illative goodwilliini goodwilleihini adessive goodwillillani goodwilleillani ablative goodwilliltani goodwilleiltani allative goodwillilleni goodwilleilleni essive goodwillinani goodwilleinani translative goodwillikseni goodwilleikseni abessive goodwillittani goodwilleittani instructive — — comitative — goodwilleineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative goodwillisi goodwillisi accusative nom. goodwillisi goodwillisi gen. goodwillisi genitive goodwillisi goodwilliesi partitive goodwilliasi goodwillejasi inessive goodwillissasi goodwilleissasi elative goodwillistasi goodwilleistasi illative goodwilliisi goodwilleihisi adessive goodwillillasi goodwilleillasi ablative goodwilliltasi goodwilleiltasi allative goodwillillesi goodwilleillesi essive goodwillinasi goodwilleinasi translative goodwilliksesi goodwilleiksesi abessive goodwillittasi goodwilleittasi instructive — — comitative — goodwilleinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative goodwillimme goodwillimme accusative nom. goodwillimme goodwillimme gen. goodwillimme genitive goodwillimme goodwilliemme partitive goodwilliamme goodwillejamme inessive goodwillissamme goodwilleissamme elative goodwillistamme goodwilleistamme illative goodwilliimme goodwilleihimme adessive goodwillillamme goodwilleillamme ablative goodwilliltamme goodwilleiltamme allative goodwillillemme goodwilleillemme essive goodwillinamme goodwilleinamme translative goodwilliksemme goodwilleiksemme abessive goodwillittamme goodwilleittamme instructive — — comitative — goodwilleinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative goodwillinne goodwillinne accusative nom. goodwillinne goodwillinne gen. goodwillinne genitive goodwillinne goodwillienne partitive goodwillianne goodwillejanne inessive goodwillissanne goodwilleissanne elative goodwillistanne goodwilleistanne illative goodwilliinne goodwilleihinne adessive goodwillillanne goodwilleillanne ablative goodwilliltanne goodwilleiltanne allative goodwillillenne goodwilleillenne essive goodwillinanne goodwilleinanne translative goodwilliksenne goodwilleiksenne abessive goodwillittanne goodwilleittanne instructive — — comitative — goodwilleinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative goodwillinsa goodwillinsa accusative nom. goodwillinsa goodwillinsa gen. goodwillinsa genitive goodwillinsa goodwilliensa partitive goodwilliaan goodwilliansa goodwillejaan goodwillejansa inessive goodwillissaan goodwillissansa goodwilleissaan goodwilleissansa elative goodwillistaan goodwillistansa goodwilleistaan goodwilleistansa illative goodwilliinsa goodwilleihinsa adessive goodwillillaan goodwillillansa goodwilleillaan goodwilleillansa ablative goodwilliltaan goodwilliltansa goodwilleiltaan goodwilleiltansa allative goodwillilleen goodwillillensa goodwilleilleen goodwilleillensa essive goodwillinaan goodwillinansa goodwilleinaan goodwilleinansa translative goodwillikseen goodwilliksensa goodwilleikseen goodwilleiksensa abessive goodwillittaan goodwillittansa goodwilleittaan goodwilleittansa instructive — — comitative — goodwilleineen goodwilleinensa

Synonyms

• liikearvo

Further reading

• “goodwill”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023