Goodly means large in size, amount, or number. When a teacher assigns a goodly amount of homework, she means there's quite a bit of it. If a farmer harvests a goodly number of apples, his trees produced an impressive quantity.

The word has an old-fashioned ring to it, like something from a historical novel or formal speech. You're more likely to encounter it in classic literature than in everyday conversation. A goodly portion of pie means a generous slice, and a goodly sum of money means a substantial amount worth noting.

Be careful not to confuse goodly with good. Despite how it looks, goodly doesn't mean virtuous or well-behaved. It's about quantity or size. A goodly crowd gathered for the parade means many people showed up, not that they were particularly well-mannered. Similarly, goodly is different from godly, which does refer to virtue and religious devotion.

While you might not use this word often yourself, recognizing it helps when you encounter phrases like “a goodly distance” or “a goodly share” in your reading.