goody-goodies

noun

plural of goody-goody
as in crabs
informal + disapproving a person (such as a child) whose good behavior and politeness are annoying because they seem to be excessive or not sincere The other kids don't like her because she's a goody-goody.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goody-goodies
  1. crabs
  2. bores
  3. complainers
  4. cynics
  5. spoilsports
Noun
  • The broader climate conditions also shifted in the crabs’ favor.
    — Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The species faces many threats, including a reduction of underwater grasses that shelter young crabs, experts said.
    — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 15 July 2026
Definition of crabs
Noun
  • Some resorts in the Mamanuca Islands are set to lose entire wings to the sea in the coming years, and drinking water in villages is already being infiltrated by salt from seawater seeping into ground bores.
    — MIchelle Duff, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Her books were their progeny, Stein acknowledged, and without Alice’s mothering—and typing, proofreading, cooking, sewing, shopping, bookkeeping, and warding off bores—they might not have been born.
    — Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of bores
Noun
  • Are they deluded into thinking that the complainers are just a squeaky wheel minority and the majority of fans are happy with it?
    — Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 July 2026
  • However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Definition of complainers
Noun
  • But should cynics in the industry be tapping the brakes a little, to make sure everybody believes Dean is all that, before giving her an official coronation?
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • But weddings also bring out the cynics, and there are a lot of people who cannot be swayed by a wedding.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 July 2026
Definition of cynics
Noun
  • The spoilsports need to get back to their home state and do the job which their constituents elected them to do.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of spoilsports
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Goody-goodies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goody-goodies. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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