Dictionary

good riddance en · INTJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪd(ə)n(t)s/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• (General-American) audio
• /ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪdn̩(t)s/ (General-American)

Etymology

From good + riddance (“act of ridding or removal; relief involving getting rid of something”), possibly influenced by the earlier obsolete terms fair riddance and gentle riddance.

Meanings

1. Used to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome.
   • Mrs Inconſiderate, alſo replyed, ſaying, avvay vvith ſuch Fantaſtical Fools from the Tovvn, a good riddance, for my par[t], I ſay, of her. Should ſhe ſtay vvhere ſhe dvvels, and retain this her mind, vvho could live quietly by her? for ſhe vvill either be dumpiſh or unneighbourly, or talk of ſuch matters as no vviſe body can abide: […] 1684, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress. From This World to That which is to Come: The Second Part. […], London: […] Nathaniel Ponder […], →OCLC, page 17:
   • Goodbye and good riddance!
   • After 50 years of farming, [Maurice] Fisch too has left the ostrich business, and says good riddance. […] Ostriches, says Fisch, are "stupid birds that just had nice feathers." 2020 August 4, Richard Conniff, “They may Look Goofy, but Ostriches are Nobody’s Fool”, in National Geographic, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, published September 2020, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2021:
   • And the nephew says good riddance, / And the uncle says good riddance, / And the Aunt, she says good riddance, / And the cousins say good riddance, / All the household in a chorus, / Singing in a household chorus, / Bid the boys good bye, and also— / Bid the boys good riddance also, / "No more walking says the uncle— / Walking up and down the school room / Teaching little boys their letters, / Bothering my brains with school boys, / Bothering their brains with letters.["] 1859 January 1 (date written), James Brown Kendall, “Letter to J. W. B., on His Giving Up His School and Becoming Representative”, in Poems, Framingham, Mass.: J. C. Clark, […], published 1878, →OCLC, pages 48–49:
   • I couldn’t be more glad to see the back of them. Good riddance, I say.

Forms

Coordinates

and nothing of value was lost · at long last · at last · finally · it's about time

Deriveds

good riddance of bad rubbish · good riddance to bad rubbish

Synonyms

good riddings

Translations (69)

et head teed tal minna (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es cruz y raya (''departure or loss is welcome'') · fr bon débarras (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ja 厄払い (''departure or loss is welcome'') · uk скатерти́ною доро́га (''departure or loss is welcome'') · gd 's math cuidhteas e (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es con viento fresco (''departure or loss is welcome'') · uk ска́тертю доро́га (''departure or loss is welcome'') · sv bli kvitt (något eller någon) (''departure or loss is welcome'') · pt já vai tarde (''departure or loss is welcome'') · be абру́сам даро́га (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es tanta paz lleves como descanso dejas (''departure or loss is welcome'') · az xoş getdin (''departure or loss is welcome'') · fy leaver kwyt as ryk (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cmn 再也不見 /再也不见 (''departure or loss is welcome'') · pl droga wolna (''departure or loss is welcome'') · az yol açıqdır (''departure or loss is welcome'') · nl opgeruimd staat netjes (''departure or loss is welcome'') · eo ĝis neniam (''departure or loss is welcome'') · it a mai più rivederci (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es a enemigo que huye, puente de plata (''departure or loss is welcome'') · hu nem fog hiányozni (''departure or loss is welcome'') · hu nem fogunk könnyeket hullatni érte (''departure or loss is welcome'') · vi đỡ nợ (''departure or loss is welcome'') · sv lycklig resa (''departure or loss is welcome'') · hu nem kár érte (''departure or loss is welcome'') · pl baba z wozu, koniom lżej (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cmn 送瘟神 (''departure or loss is welcome'') · de wurde auch Zeit (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cmn 好走不送 (''departure or loss is welcome'') · tr gidişi olsun, dönüşü olmasın (''departure or loss is welcome'') · el καλά ξεκουμπίδια (''departure or loss is welcome'') · th ไป ๆ ซะได้ก็ดี (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ro drum bun! (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cy gwynt teg ar ei hôl (''departure or loss is welcome'') · hu jó, hogy megszabadultunk tőle (''departure or loss is welcome'') · th ดีมาก (''departure or loss is welcome'') · is farið hefur fé betra (''departure or loss is welcome'') · de auf Nimmerwiedersehen (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cmn 終於擺脫了 /终于摆脱了 (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ro ducă-se! (''departure or loss is welcome'') · fi tervemenoa (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ar رَحِيل غَيْر مَأْسُوف عَلَيْهِ (''departure or loss is welcome'') · cy gwynt teg ar ei ôl (''departure or loss is welcome'') · vi vĩnh biệt (''departure or loss is welcome'') · vi rảnh nợ (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ca bon vent i barca nova (''departure or loss is welcome'') · az yaxşı yol (''departure or loss is welcome'') · it tanti saluti (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ja 厄介払い (''departure or loss is welcome'') · sc ithe lastima! (''departure or loss is welcome'') · it che liberazione (''departure or loss is welcome'') · yi אַ שיינע ריינע כּפּרה (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es adiós Madrid, que te quedes sin gente (''departure or loss is welcome'') · es hasta nunca (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ar رَحِيل غَيْر مَأْسُوف عَلَيْهَا (''departure or loss is welcome'') · sh zbogom i ne vraćaj se! /збогом и не враћај се! (''departure or loss is welcome'') · fa به سلامت (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ro adio și n-am cuvinte (''departure or loss is welcome'') · nl liever kwijt dan rijk (''departure or loss is welcome'') · de otherwise no real idiomatic saying (''departure or loss is welcome'') · gd siubhal a' chlamhain (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ro du-te! (''departure or loss is welcome'') · yue 好行夾唔送 /好行夹唔送 (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ast a Arxel, que ye tierra caliente (''departure or loss is welcome'') · he ברוך שפטרנו (''departure or loss is welcome'') · pl krzyżyk/krzyż na drogę (''departure or loss is welcome'') · ga bliain mhaith i diaidh (''departure or loss is welcome'') · fr bon vent (''departure or loss is welcome'')

good riddance en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪd(ə)n(t)s/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• (General-American) audio
• /ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪdn̩(t)s/ (General-American)

Etymology

From good + riddance (“act of ridding or removal; relief involving getting rid of something”), possibly influenced by the earlier obsolete terms fair riddance and gentle riddance.

Meanings

1. A welcome departure or loss.
   • Lt. Saito and Bucktooth Kasuya left camp on October 12—good riddances. But Saito was back twelve days later and decided the barracks area of my chow section was not clean enough. Shiozawa had me sweep it up. 2003, Herbert Zincke, with Scott A. Mills, “Never Enough to Eat: January 1, 1944, to October 31, 1944”, in Mitsui Madhouse: Memoir of a U.S. Army Air Corps POW in World War II, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 105:
   • [T]o tell you my mind, Lucretia, I think it's a good riddance. I don't want any of your brazen faces here, myself! 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Mr. Dombey and the World”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 510:
   • The fortification whereof he last advertised has required more time than he expected, "or in good riddance needed." 1597 August 13 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Thomas Burgh, 3rd Baron Burgh, “The Lord Deputy Burgh to Sir Robert Cecil”, in Ernest George Atkinson, editor, Calendar of the State Papers, Relating to Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1596, July – 1597, December. […], volume [VI], Nendeln, Eschen, Leichtenstein: Kraus Reprint, Kraus-Thomson Organization, published 1974, →OCLC, paragraph 72, page 364:
   • Ther[sites]. I vvill ſee you hang'd like Clatpoles, ere I come any more to your tents, I vvill keepe vvhere there is vvit ſtirring, and leaue the faction of fooles. Exit. / Patro[clus]. A good riddance. c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], signature D, recto:
   • There's no Body ſo Happy in his Family and Friends, but that ſome of them vvhen they ſee him going, vvill vviſh for a good Riddance, and almoſt keep a Holy Day for his Death: […] 1701, Marcus Antoninus [i.e., Marcus Aurelius], “Book X”, in Jeremy Collier, transl., The Emperor Marcus Antoninus His Conversation with Himself. […], London: […] Richard Sare, […], →OCLC, paragraph XXXVI, page 200:
   • Compeyson took it easy as a good riddance for both sides. 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter III, in Great Expectations […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 50:

Forms

Synonyms

good riddings · fair riddance · gentle riddance

Translations (5)

es buen deshacimiento/desfacimiento (welcome departure or loss) · fi toivottu lähtö (welcome departure or loss) · ca bon vent i barca nova (welcome departure or loss) · es buena desfacción (welcome departure or loss) · fi toivottu meno (welcome departure or loss)