welfare state

American  

noun

1. a state in which the welfare of the people in such matters as social security, health and education, housing, and working conditions is the responsibility of the government.

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welfare state British  

noun

1. a system in which the government undertakes the chief responsibility for providing for the social and economic security of its population, usually through unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and other social-security measures

2. a social system characterized by such policies

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welfare state ¹ Cultural  

1. An economic system that combines features of capitalism and socialism by retaining private ownership while the government enacts broad programs of social welfare, such as pensions and public housing.

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welfare state ² Cultural  

1. A state or government that promotes public welfare through programs of public health, pensions, unemployment compensation, public housing, and the like. The expression welfare state is often used by those hostile to government intervention in these areas.

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Etymology

Origin of welfare state

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

“I call this the social welfare state of two. We’ve privatized dependency within marriage.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

In the wealthy nation of six million people, the campaign has instead focused on domestic issues, including inflation, the welfare state and high nitrate levels in water from agriculture.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Foreign economists want Beijing to build a bigger welfare state to encourage more household spending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

It was only in the 1990s that Germany began to let its defense industry shrivel again as it diverted spending toward the welfare state.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

By this argument, belief in demonic magic ought not to have declined until there was a general improvement in living standards, and perhaps not until the development of the welfare state.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• social democracy