Goodenia hispida is an ascending herb that typically grows to a height of with egg-shaped to lance-shaped stem-leaves long and wide, sometimes with toothed edges. The flowers are arranged in racemes up to long with leaf-like bracts, each flower on a pedicel long. The sepals are lance-shaped, long and the petals yellow, long. The lower lobes of the corolla are long with wings about wide. Flowering mainly occurs from February to May and the fruit is an oval capsule long.