Definition
Used to express frustration, exasperation, annoyance.
Used to express surprise or amazement.
Used for emphasis
Origins
A Minced version of for God's sake.
In Context
- "For goodness' sake, get off the computer! You've been on there for ages!"
- "You're 47, for goodness' sake. Too old for this!"
- "She's 1.98m for goodness sake! How can you not find her!?"
- "For goodness' sake, I spelled that word correctly. I never knew I could do that."
- "No salesman is ever a bore if he can make us throw up our hands and say, "Well, for goodness' sake! What do you know about that ?" Yes, surprise is the thing."
- "“For goodness' sake,” Einstein exclaimed. “So that was the famous caviar!" He paused for a moment, then added, "Well, if you offer gourmet food to peasants like me, you know they won't appreciate it.""
- "For goodness' sake, we go to Spain for a week and get new next-door neighbors! How lovely!"
- "I thought, for goodness' sake, fancy them being the same!"
- "They'll try all they can to deceive and to cheat, But for goodness sake don't say I told you."
- "Well, for goodness sake let me know if I can do anything."
- "I am not normally a stickler for tradition – I had a baby out of wedlock, for goodness sake – but for some reason I want Harry to be my husband."
- "But for goodness sake, please review the plan and come up with detail that distinguishes each groups cultural identity and is something that the players can own."
- "These young women are busy, for goodness' sake, tired and overworked, stressed, trying to find time for themselves in days that have too little."