good-natured

1 of 2

adjective

good-na·​tured ˈgu̇d-ˈnā-chərd 

: of a pleasant and cooperative disposition

good-naturedly adverb

good-naturedness noun

good-naturedness

2 of 2

noun

good-na·​tured·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being good-natured

Synonyms of good-natured

Adjective

• gracious
• pleasant
• nice
• amiable
• sweet

Choose the Right Synonym for good-natured

amiable, good-natured, obliging, complaisant mean having the desire or disposition to please.

amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.

a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

Examples of good-natured in a Sentence

Adjective

the guests at the party were a good-natured bunch

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The conversation had the recognizable rhythm of sports fans’ mixture of banter and good-natured ribbing. —Dan Greene, New Yorker, 12 June 2026

The secondary’s lack of ball-production, in fact, became the subject of good-natured locker-room needling early in the year — and something slightly more, as weeks went by. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 9 June 2026

My husband, in turn, is good-natured and lets things roll off his back. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

The final sequence — a late-in-the-day, good-natured match between Creed and Balboa — would’ve made a terrific full stop to the franchise. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1736, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for good-natured

• denatured
• natured

Kids Definition

good-natured

adjective

good-na·​tured

ˈgu̇d-ˈnā-chərd

: of a pleasant cheerful disposition

good-naturedly adverb

good-naturedness noun