goodwill
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: accounting
business
finance
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.
Inflected forms:
form: goodwills
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: good-will
pos: noun
tags: alternative
archaic
form: goodwills
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: goodwilling
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: goodwilled
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: goodwilled
pos: verb
tags: past
form: good-will
pos: verb
tags: alternative
archaic
Senses:
gloss: A favorably disposed attitude toward someone or something.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
gloss: The willingness of a worker to perform activities not strictly within the scope of the employment contract and not just work to rule.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: 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.'
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.
gloss: A thrift shop.
pos: noun
tags: Canada
US
capitalized
countable
uncommon
usually
examples: Buy from goodwills, garage sales, friends, and neighbors. Choose beautiful, functional, durable items made by craftspeople.
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[…]
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[…]
gloss: To voluntarily provide or cover some or all of the cost of (something) to maintain goodwill.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The company goodwilled the cost of the repairs.
Antonyms: ill will
Derived words: goodwill ambassador
goodwiller
goodwilly
Translations: