Word.ws English Dictionary

goodfella

goodfella noun: a gangster, especially one in the Mafia.

Noun

goodfella (plural goodfellas)

  1. (US, slang) A gangster, especially one in the Mafia.
    • Was Anthony Mirra a wiseguy then? […] If Mirra wasn't a good fellow at the time you was there, his argument is no good.1987, Joseph D. Pistone, Richard Woodley, chapter 17, in Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, New American Library, published 1988, page 310
    • […] according to law enforcement, the boss of the largest crime family in the country, some 300 wise guys, good fellows, good guys, button men, made guys—sworn members of the family—and 1,000 and 1,500 associated members.1992, Marshall Blonsky, chapter 13, in American Mythologies, New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, pages 313–314

Forms of goodfella

pluralgoodfellas
alternative formgoodfellow

Origin of goodfella

From good + fella. Popularized by the American crime film Goodfellas (1990).

Words formed from goodfella

Questions about goodfella

What does goodfella mean?
Goodfella means a gangster, especially one in the Mafia.
What part of speech is goodfella?
Goodfella is a noun.
What is the plural of goodfella?
The plural of goodfella is goodfellas.

Words near goodfella in the dictionary

  1. Gooderidge
  2. gooders
  3. Goodes
  4. goodest
  5. Goodey
  6. goodfella
  7. goodfellas
  8. goodfellow
  9. goodfellowed
  10. goodfellowing
  11. goodfellows

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: goodfella (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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