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Synonyms

well-done

American  
[wel-duhn] / ˈwɛlˈdʌn /

adjective

  1. performed accurately and diligently; executed with skill and efficiency.

  2. (of meat) thoroughly cooked, especially until all redness is gone.


well-done British  

adjective

  1. (of food, esp meat) cooked thoroughly

  2. made or accomplished satisfactorily

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of well-done

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200

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.

Sundance picks often rhyme, as was evident in two well-done black comedies about high-school students who put on wildly inappropriate plays.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

He also noted the body horror, especially in two “monstrous” birth sequences, providing an adequate scare, and there’s a “modicum of well-done fright effects.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

He mocked Mr. Trump’s taste for well-done hamburgers and his love of cable news.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2024

“It’s a very well-done study that convincingly shows there is a tonsil-like structure” in the fish, says immunologist and cell biologist Anna Huttenlocher of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who wasn’t connected to the research.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 31, 2023

Cal knew now it was a job—a well-done job—and he was grateful.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck