good-natured

adjective

good-na·​tured ˈgu̇d-ˈnā-chərd 

: of a pleasant and cooperative disposition

good-naturedly adverb

good-naturedness noun

Synonyms

• affable
• agreeable
• amiable
• genial
• good-tempered
• gracious
• mellow
• nice
• pleasant
• sweet
• well-disposed

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

the guests at the party were a good-natured bunch

Recent Examples on the Web

Shuttleworth, who recalled this demotion with a good-natured reference to Stalin, told me that Foster must have approved this fakery, which became a small news story. —Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

There is laughter and good-natured finger-pointing at the end of each 60 seconds, as players argue over who should be in the top-flight group or playing pub football. —Stuart James, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025

In The Greatest, Ali tells of a good-natured car ride the two men shared from Philadelphia to New York in the late 1960s. —Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025

Musk’s $426 billion net worth is about $190 billion more than Bezos’ $235 billion, according to our latest estimates, and the often good-natured beef between the two goes back years. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

good-natured

adjective

good-na·​tured

ˈgu̇d-ˈnā-chərd

: of a pleasant cheerful disposition

good-naturedly adverb

good-naturedness noun