good guy

[ good gahy ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a moral or noble person; a hero or someone perceived as one:

   The film's twist is that the monster turns out to be the good guy.

2. any person who is regarded as habitually prone to doing good things or as being morally correct:

   There are times in this job where we don't feel like the good guys.

Word History and Origins

Origin of good guy¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

When you said it, I was like, "Oh, you probably have a good guy."

From Salon

"He's a fantastic coach and a really good guy as well," he said.

From BBC

The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, defended his father's nominees on Sunday, saying on Fox News that "we know who the good guys and bad guys are".

From BBC

“The good guys always making the good decisions and the bad guys making all the bad decisions is not representative of the human experience,” Lynch says.

From Los Angeles Times

"He is an excellent broadcaster and a very good guy," Campbell said.

From BBC

Related Words

• Mr. Nice Guy