Meaning & use
goodwill
Last updated
friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude, or the established reputation of a business as a valuable asset.
See it in a sentence
The volunteers worked in a spirit of goodwill after the storm.
The company's goodwill was valued at millions of dollars when it was sold.
A note on using this word
In business and accounting, 'goodwill' has a specific technical meaning: the intangible value of a company's reputation and customer relationships, beyond its physical assets.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. noun
an intangible business asset representing reputation and customer relationships
The acquiring firm paid extra for the target company's goodwill.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “goodwill”, then compare your use with the examples above.