good riddance

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good riddance (idiomatic interjection)
/ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪdn̩s/

Synopsis

“Good riddance” is an idiom that expresses relief or pleasure at the departure or removal of someone or something unwanted—a dismissive way of saying you’re glad it’s gone. The phrase originated in sixteenth-century England from the noun “riddance,” meaning removal or deliverance, which derives from “rid.”

Meanings

• Used to express pleasure or relief that someone or something unwanted has gone or ended.
• Said when a problem, nuisance, or unpleasant situation is finally over.
• (Less common) A general expression of satisfaction at being free from something undesirable.

Synonyms: relief; thank goodness; what a relief; about time; good riddance to bad rubbish; don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Example Sentences

1. When the rude customer stormed out of the shop, the cashier muttered good riddance and smiled in relief.
2. After months of rain, the sun finally came out, and everyone said good riddance to the gloomy weather.
3. When the company replaced its outdated system, the IT staff declared good riddance to constant crashes and delays.

Origin and History

The expression “good riddance” originates from the Middle English noun “riddance,” first recorded in the early sixteenth century to denote an act of removal, deliverance, or clearance from something unwanted. The noun itself derives from the verb “rid,” a word traceable to Old English “hriddan” and Old Norse “ryðja,” both meaning “to clear” or “to make free.” Early uses of “riddance” carried a neutral tone, describing physical or moral removal, but the term gradually developed evaluative modifiers such as “fayre,” “gentle,” or “clene riddance” that conveyed approval or relief at being freed from burdens. This linguistic progression from neutral disposal to positive deliverance paved the way for the idiom’s emergence, transforming “riddance” from an act into an emotional response.

Linguistic Development and Cultural Context

By the late Tudor period, English speakers were increasingly using “riddance” with appreciative adjectives that signaled satisfaction in parting with something troublesome. This coincided with a cultural fascination for witty dismissals and pithy exclamations in both courtly and common speech. The phrase “good riddance” appears to have crystallized from this tendency, marrying the adjective “good”—expressing approval—with the noun’s sense of release. The result was a compact expression of relief that perfectly suited the rhetorical sharpness of Elizabethan dialogue, where language often served as a tool for mockery, irony, or self-defense.

Theories and Interpretations

Scholars generally regard “good riddance” as a product of natural linguistic evolution rather than a deliberate invention. Some interpret its rise as part of a wider pattern in early modern English, where terms of purification and expulsion acquired moral and emotional overtones. Others propose that the phrase echoes folkloric or ritualistic notions of banishing evil, viewing it as a secular reflection of ceremonial cleansing. While these interpretations remain speculative, they capture the broader social mood of sixteenth-century England—a period marked by religious transformation, class tension, and a fascination with language that could elegantly disguise disdain. In this sense, the idiom reflects both social wit and psychological release: the pleasure of letting go of what one no longer desires.

Earliest Documentary Evidence

The noun “riddance” appears in English writing as early as the first half of the sixteenth century, used in poetry and prose to describe deliverance or liberation. One poetic example speaks of “a fayre riddance,” indicating satisfaction at being free from an encumbrance. The earliest known occurrence of the exact phrase “good riddance” appears in a dramatic work composed around 1602 and printed a few years later. In Act 2, Scene 1 of “Troilus and Cressida,” the character Patroclus utters a curt farewell to the scornful Thersites: “A good riddance.” This line encapsulates the modern idiom perfectly—a brief, sharp expression of relief at the departure of an annoyance. Its presence in such an early seventeenth-century play confirms that the phrase had already entered spoken usage, likely long before its first surviving print appearance.

Evolution and Spread

Following its theatrical debut, “good riddance” quickly spread through both literary and colloquial English. By the mid-seventeenth century, it was well established as a fixed idiom, appearing in moral essays, satires, and popular ballads. Over time, extended variants such as “good riddance to bad rubbish” reinforced its dismissive tone, adding moral judgment to mere relief. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the phrase had become a standard expression of triumph over inconvenience—concise, cutting, and unmistakably English in character.

Country of Origin and Legacy

All available evidence situates the birth and early evolution of “good riddance” squarely within England, where it arose amid the linguistic creativity of the late medieval and early modern periods. The phrase embodies a peculiarly English blend of irony and pragmatism—a way of turning the act of rejection into a moment of verbal satisfaction. Its continued use across centuries, and its adoption into other English-speaking cultures, attest to its expressive efficiency: few words better capture the relief of seeing something—or someone—finally gone.

Origin Summary

In sum, “good riddance” evolved from a Middle English noun meaning “deliverance” into a fixed idiom of emotional release. Its first recorded appearance in early seventeenth-century English drama shows that it was already a part of everyday speech, shaped by a culture that prized wit and verbal economy. Emerging from the soil of ordinary language and theatrical expression, it remains today a timeless declaration of relief—the last word in polite dismissal.

Variants

• good riddance to bad rubbish
• good riddings (archaic form)
• similar tone: don’t let the door hit you on the way out

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