well-meaning
Americanadjective
-
meaning or intending well; having good intentions.
a well-meaning but tactless person.
-
Also well-meant proceeding from good intentions.
Her well-meaning words were received in silence.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of well-meaning
A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
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.
“They’re well-meaning folks that just want to be around animals, and they figure, hey, we’ll have an animal sanctuary,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
Many of them are doing so out of a well-meaning but ill-informed abundance of caution.
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
There is probably one thing worse than sitting for hours waiting for an X-ray or a follow-up appointment, only to be greeted by another well-meaning stand-in who is frustratingly unfamiliar with your file.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
Countless people sang the usual songs to us: “I hope with time it’s getting better…” So well-meaning, of course, but also tone-deaf in their implicit call for us to be “better.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Even better, their well-meaning attempts at matchmaking kept the Sender sisters very well fed.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
