goodly – English adjective declension

English adjective forms of goodly

Adjective: goodly

Comparison Forms

Synthetic

Comparativegoodlier
Superlativegoodliest

Perifrastic

Sample Sentences

  • Her goodly thighs, whoſe glory did appear, / Like a triumphal Arch,[…] [1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:]
  • The diuell can cite Scripture for his purpoſe, / An euill ſoule producing holy witneſſe, / Is like a villaine with a ſmiling cheeke, / A goodly apple rotten at the heart. / O what a goodly outſide falſehood hath. [c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 166:]
  • O Sin, thou knowest that all thy shame in her
  • Was made a goodly thing. [1866, Algernon Charles Swinburne, “A Ballad of Death”, in Poems and Ballads, lines 26–27:]
  • Then the prince left her and betook himself to the palace of the King his father, who rejoiced in his return and met him and welcomed him; and the Prince said to him, "Know that I have left her without the city in such a garden and come to tell thee, that thou mayst make ready the procession of estate and go forth to meet her and show her the royal dignity and troops and guards." Answered the King, "With joy and gladness"; and straightway bade decorate the town with the goodliest adornment. [1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night:]
  • a goodly sum of money
  • walking at a goodly pace
  • Like any kid who played a game or two in school, I happened early on a golden rule: if I ate a goodly amount, I had better wait a goodly time before starting play—at least half an hour, preferably more. [2014, Dilip D’souza, Final Test:]
  • I am glad I brought a goodly supply of needlework with me. It's about all there is to do. [2014, Lael R. Neill, Sand Island Diaries:]
  • After stopping at these stations, my train has become busy. Returning day-trippers make up a goodly number, along with young people heading for a night out in Bristol, which is where I change once again. [2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 66:]

Adjectives inflected like goodly

syrupy, seemly, seggsy, snuffy, snippy, snitty, sniffy, snotty, snouty, snobby, snoozy, snooty, snazzy, snappy, snarky, snarly, snassy, snaily, snacky, snaggy, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)

Etymology

1. Etymology tree
2. Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-der.
3. Proto-Germanic *gadanąvṛd.
4. Proto-Germanic *gōdaz
5. Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.
6. Proto-Germanic *līkąder.
7. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz
8. Proto-Germanic *gōdalīkaz
9. Proto-West Germanic *gōdalīk
10. Old English gōdlīċ
11. Middle English goodlich
12. English goodly
13. From Middle English goodly, goodlich, gōdlich, from Old English gōdlīċ (“good, goodly”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdalīk, from Proto-Germanic *gōdalīkaz (“good, goodly”); equivalent to good + -ly. Cognate with Dutch goedelijk, goelijk (“harmless, benign”), German gütlich (“friendly”), Icelandic góðlegur (“benign”). See: Dutch Adjectives 'goedelijk', German Adjectives 'gütlich'.