On this page16 sections
- Contents
- Quick picker
- From "OK" to "outstanding"
- Good quality
- Good food and drink
- A good person
- Good at something
- Good for you or useful
- A good time
- A good idea, reason or choice
- Casual, formal and work words
- Instead of "I'm good" and "sounds good"
- Words that are easy to misuse
- Good or well?
- Practice with answers
- Quick answers
The best other word for “good” depends on which kind of good you mean. For quality, say excellent, great, fine or first-rate; for food, delicious or tasty; for a person’s character, kind, decent or honest; for skill, skilled, capable or talented; for something that helps, useful, helpful or beneficial; and for an experience, enjoyable, pleasant or lovely. “A good meal” becomes “a delicious meal”; “a good doctor” becomes “a skilled, caring doctor”.
Below, the alternatives are grouped by meaning, each with an example sentence, from “barely good” to “very good”. You will also find casual and formal options, better replies than “I’m good”, words that are easy to misuse, good vs well, and a short practice set with answers.
Contents
- Quick picker
- From “OK” to “outstanding”
- Good quality
- Good food and drink
- A good person
- Good at something
- Good for you or useful
- A good time
- A good idea, reason or choice
- Casual, formal and work words
- Instead of “I’m good” and “sounds good”
- Words that are easy to misuse
- Good or well?
- Practice with answers
Quick picker
| Instead of… | Try |
|---|---|
| a good film / book | gripping, moving, brilliant, well-made, worth watching |
| a good meal | delicious, tasty, satisfying, mouth-watering |
| a good person | kind, decent, generous, honest, caring |
| good at maths | strong in, skilled at, gifted at, a natural at |
| good work / a good job | excellent work, well done, impressive, thorough |
| a good idea | smart, sensible, clever, sound, inspired |
| good weather | fine, sunny, pleasant, glorious |
| good for your health | healthy, nourishing, beneficial |
| a good price | reasonable, fair, a bargain, good value |
| good news | welcome, great, encouraging, happy |
| a good child | well-behaved, polite, obedient |
| good enough | fine, acceptable, adequate, decent |
From “OK” to “outstanding”
Most synonyms are stronger than good, but a few are weaker. Pick the level you mean.
| Level | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Just good enough | OK, fine, adequate, acceptable, passable, satisfactory | The hotel was adequate for one night. |
| Fairly good | decent, solid, reasonable, not bad, respectable | It’s a solid first draft. |
| Good | nice, pleasant, sound, fine | We had a pleasant evening. |
| Very good | great, excellent, impressive, terrific, superb | Your presentation was excellent. |
| The best | outstanding, exceptional, first-class, world-class, superlative | She is an exceptional teacher. |
Words at the top of the scale lose their force if used for everything. Save outstanding for things that really stand out. For very-good words in more detail, see another word for amazing.
Good quality
| Word | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| excellent | anything of high quality; safe in formal writing | The museum has an excellent collection of maps. |
| first-rate, first-class | service, work, products | The service on the flight was first-class. |
| high-quality | products, materials, research | The jacket is made of high-quality wool. |
| well-made | objects, films, plans | A well-made pair of boots lasts years. |
| fine | craftsmanship, wine, detail (or “OK” in speech) | The shop sells fine Italian leather. |
| superb | performances, views, food | The view from the top was superb. |
| top-notch | informal praise | The coffee here is top-notch. |
Good food and drink
- delicious: “This soup is delicious.”
- tasty (a bit more casual): “a tasty sandwich”
- flavourful / flavorful: “a flavourful curry”
- mouth-watering (looks or smells delicious): “a mouth-watering display of cakes”
- satisfying / hearty (filling): “a hearty winter stew”
- refreshing (drinks, cold food): “a refreshing glass of lemonade”
- yummy (informal, often with children): “Yummy pancakes!”
“Very delicious” sounds odd to many native speakers because delicious already means very tasty; say “absolutely delicious” or just “delicious”.
A good person
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kind, caring | treats others well | A kind stranger helped me with my bags. |
| decent | honest and fair; the quiet sort of goodness | He’s a decent man who always pays his debts. |
| honest, trustworthy | tells the truth, can be relied on | We need a trustworthy person to handle the money. |
| generous | gives freely | Her generous neighbours brought dinner every night. |
| good-hearted, big-hearted | kind by nature | He’s a big-hearted guy, if a bit loud. |
| principled, upright | keeps to strong morals | A principled judge refused the gift. |
| well-behaved | (children, pets) behaving properly | The children were well-behaved all evening. |
Virtuous and righteous exist but sound old-fashioned or religious in everyday speech; righteous can also sound smug (“self-righteous”).
Good at something
- skilled / skilful: “a skilled carpenter”
- talented / gifted (natural ability): “a gifted young pianist”
- capable / competent (does the job well; competent can sound lukewarm): “a capable manager”
- experienced: “an experienced nurse”
- accomplished (has achieved a lot): “an accomplished novelist”
- a natural (noun, informal): “She’s a natural on stage.”
- strong in / skilled at (instead of “good at”): “He is strong in science.”
Praising work rather than a person? See other ways to say great job, or for teachers, ways to say good job to students.
Good for you or useful
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| beneficial | Regular walking is beneficial for your back. |
| healthy, nourishing | Lentils are a cheap, nourishing food. |
| useful, handy | A handy tip: freeze herbs in olive oil. |
| helpful | Thanks, that was really helpful. |
| valuable | She gave us valuable advice. |
| effective | The new treatment is effective in most patients. |
| worthwhile | The course was expensive but worthwhile. |
A good time
- enjoyable: “an enjoyable afternoon at the beach”
- pleasant: “a pleasant walk along the river”
- lovely (warm, a little British): “We had a lovely time.”
- delightful (charming): “a delightful little café”
- fun: “The party was really fun.”
- memorable: “a memorable trip”
- a blast (informal noun): “The concert was a blast.”
For weather: fine, fair, sunny, pleasant, glorious (“a glorious summer day”).
A good idea, reason or choice
| Phrase with good | Better word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a good idea | smart, clever, sensible, inspired | Bringing a spare charger was a smart move. |
| a good reason | valid, sound, solid, legitimate | Do you have a valid reason for missing the exam? |
| a good choice | wise, sensible, right, ideal | That’s a wise choice for a first car. |
| a good fit | suitable, appropriate, well suited | She is well suited to the role. |
| a good chance | strong, real, fair | There’s a strong chance of rain. |
| a good amount | considerable, substantial, fair | It took a considerable amount of time. |
Casual, formal and work words
| Register | Words |
|---|---|
| Casual speech | great, awesome (especially American), cool, brilliant (British), amazing, not bad, solid |
| Slang (use with friends) | sick, lit, fire, banging (British), dope (dated) |
| Polite and neutral | lovely, pleasant, nice, fine |
| Formal and academic | excellent, sound, favourable, satisfactory, commendable |
| Work feedback | strong, thorough, well-organised, effective, impressive |
In a performance review, “strong” and “thorough” sound more credible than “amazing”. In an academic essay, “a sound argument” or “favourable results” fits better than “good”. Slang changes quickly, so check how your audience uses it.
Instead of “I’m good” and “sounds good”
When someone asks “How are you?”:
- “I’m well, thanks.” (a little more formal)
- “Pretty good, thanks. You?”
- “Doing great!”
- “Can’t complain.”
- “Not bad at all.”
When someone offers something and you mean “no, thank you”, “I’m good” is common in American English, but “I’m fine, thanks” or “No, thanks, I’m all right” is clearer to everyone.
To agree with a plan: “That works for me”, “Perfect”, “Great, let’s do that”, “Fine by me”, “I’m happy with that”.
When you hear useful news, see other ways to say good to know.
Words that are easy to misuse
- Decent can sound like faint praise: “a decent essay” usually means “fine, not special”.
- Fine can mean “OK, nothing more”, especially in a flat tone: “The food was fine.”
- Nice is pleasant but vague; teachers often ask students to replace it for that reason.
- Interesting is sometimes a polite way of not saying “good”. “Your idea is interesting” may mean “I have doubts”.
- Awesome originally meant “inspiring awe” and is still used that way (“an awesome mountain range”), but in casual speech it simply means “very good”.
- Wicked means “very good” only in informal British and New England slang; elsewhere it means evil.
Good or well?
Good is an adjective: it describes a noun or follows a linking verb (be, seem, look, taste, feel). Well is usually the adverb: it describes how someone does something.
- She is a good singer. She sings well.
- The cake tastes good. (taste is a linking verb here)
- I feel good today (happy, positive). I feel well today (not ill).
- “He did good” is informal; in standard English, say “He did well”.
Practice with answers
A. Replace “good” with a more precise word.
- The chef made a good curry.
- He’s a good violinist; he played at the Royal Albert Hall at sixteen.
- Vegetables are good for you.
- Do you have a good reason for being late?
- We had a good time at the wedding.
B. Choose the word that fits the level.
- The hotel was (adequate / outstanding): clean, but the room was tiny.
- Her thesis won the national prize. It was (decent / exceptional).
C. Good or well?
- You did really ___ in the test.
- This bread smells ___.
Answers: 1 delicious, tasty or flavourful; 2 gifted, talented or accomplished; 3 healthy or beneficial; 4 valid; 5 lovely, wonderful or enjoyable; 6 adequate; 7 exceptional; 8 well; 9 good.
Quick answers
What is a fancy word for good? Excellent, superb, exemplary or commendable, depending on context. In an essay, “a sound argument” or “favourable results” often works better than a fancy adjective.
What is a better word for good in an essay? Choose the meaning: effective, valid, beneficial, significant, strong or persuasive.
What is a word for very good? Excellent, great, superb, outstanding or exceptional.
Why does one precise adjective work better than “very good”? Specific words give the reader a picture, the same reason writers reach for figurative language.