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Glite Dictionary
to do well by doing good

to do well by doing good

1 6.5
To succeed by helping others and acting fairly
  • idiom
translation icon : hacer el bien
  • They feel they are doing well by doing good.

They don't like this model we have of doing well by doing good.

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Examples

  • Doing well by doing good is an admirable goal.

    Blog text (32)

  • Many businesses find that they can do well by doing good if they support local charities.

  • Philanthropists often do well by doing good by funding education and healthcare initiatives.

  • Companies that prioritize sustainability often do well by doing good and attract more customers.

Antonyms

to suffer
∞ 2.0

To feel pain or be ill

How Altruistic

to do well by doing good
1 6.5
to come first
87 2.3

Surface Forms

do well by doing good infinitive
did well by doing good past
done well by doing good past participle
doing well by doing good present participle
does well by doing good third person singular

Morphology

do + well + by + do + good

The meaning is directly compositional: 'do well' = succeed, 'by' = through/as a means of, and 'doing good' = acting ethically or helping others, so a learner who knows each word can infer 'achieve success through moral actions.' Although proverb-like, the semantic roles are transparent and follow normal English composition patterns, a logic that is common across many languages.

Etymology

Do well by doing good paints a simple picture: if you do good, meaning you help people or act fairly and kindly, you will do well by gaining success and respect. That's why it means 'to succeed by being fair and helping others'.