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well-meaning

well-meaning

28 3.7
Wanting to help others even when the result causes problems
  • adjective
  • /ˈwɛlˈmiːnɪŋ/
translation icon : bienintencionado
  • Although he is well-meaning, his suggestions often create more confusion than clarity.
  • well-meaning parents
  • well-meaning actions
  • well-meaning approach

Like that's sort of the structure that even the most well meaning people take.

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Examples

  • I was fixed up on a blind date by a well-meaning friend.

  • I've met lots of conscientious, well meaning, brilliant people who work inside these companies and want to do the right thing and want to make change.

  • A lot of people are well meaning, even within companies.

  • The research was well meaning, but bad.

  • Like that's sort of the structure that even the most well meaning people take.

  • All my well-meaning plans had come to this.

  • Just remember that Aunt Honey is very well-meaning, as Mom says.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You know, most physicians are well meaning, but they come from a perspective of a biomedical model.

  • There are plenty of villains in this story, but there are many more good, well meaning people who are trying to solve a problem that they believe is important.

  • Even the wisest and most well meaning people will give up if they have to swim against the current in the organisations in which they work.

Synonyms

well-intentioned
vswell-meaning
28 4.6

Trying to help but sometimes making things worse

aims to do good or help rather than just feeling sincere
well disposed
vswell-meaning
1 5.8

Being friendly and ready to help or support people and ideas

is about intending to do good rather than merely being friendly
well-meant
vswell-meaning
1 3.9

An action done with good intentions that is not always helpful

focuses on intending practical help rather than outcome or reception

Antonyms

89 5.8

Wanting to hurt someone or damage their good name

How Well-Meaning

altruistic
23 6.7
philanthropic
20 6.8
benevolent
53 5.1
well-meaning
28 3.7

Surface Forms

well-meaning positive

Morphology

well-meaning = mean (transparent) = well + mean + ing

The word is transparently built from 'well' + 'mean' + '-ing', with the expected sense of 'intending well' or 'having good intentions'. [Postprocessing: moved 'well' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Well-meaning comes from the simple words well ('good') and meaning ('intention'). It is like the phrase 'means well', so it describes someone who wants to help or do good even if what they do does not always work.