well-being
Americannoun
Usage
What does well-being mean? The well-being of someone or something is its welfare or overall condition or state of health. A high level of well-being means that the overall condition is healthy and positive.Well-being can also refer to a specific aspect of one’s health, and it is often preceded by words like mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and the like. Well-being is most often applied to people and communities but it can also be applied to things, especially organizations or institutions, such as a nation, economy, or educational system. It is sometimes spelled without the hyphen (well being) or as one word (wellbeing).Example: I hate to call out sick so close to my deadline, but I’m trying to prioritize my well-being instead of constantly pushing myself.
Etymology
Origin of well-being
First recorded in 1605–15
Compare meaning
How does well-being compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recent history provides us with numerous cases of individuals who have shown their character at the cost of their physical and financial well-being.
From Los Angeles Times
Some folks might cite being hard-working or handy, but most people would likely circle around concepts of well-being and strong values.
From Salon
Four months later, the ISU announced the increased minimum age limit “for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health, and emotional well-being of the skaters.”
From Los Angeles Times
"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident. The safety and well-being of our passengers and staff is our priority," the firm added.
From BBC
"If scientists can definitively say that dreams are important for problem solving, creativity and emotion regulation, hopefully people will start to take dreams seriously as a priority for mental health and well-being."
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
