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Synonyms

well-formed

American  
[wel-fawrmd] / ˈwɛlˈfɔrmd /

adjective

  1. rightly or pleasingly formed.

    a well-formed contour.

  2. Linguistics. (of an utterance) conforming to the rules of a language; grammatical (ill-formed ).

well-formed British  

adjective

  1. logic linguistics (of a formula, expression, etc) constructed in accordance with the syntactic rules of a particular system; grammatically correct

"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

Other Word Forms

  • well-formedness noun

Etymology

Origin of well-formed

First recorded in 1510–20

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.

The daily chart shows how the stock has risen above several well-formed bases, starting in July with a break above a double bottom.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

She opens her hands up to me, revealing Band-Aids and well-formed callouses.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

"Although miassite is a mineral that was discovered near the Miass River in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia," said Canfield, "it is a rare one that generally does not grow as well-formed crystals."

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

Current rules say the conch must have a well-formed flaring lip to be considered an adult.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2023

Once well-formed, they were now no larger than they’d been in the midst of puberty.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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.