well-meaning

adjective

well-mean·​ing ˈwel-ˈmē-niŋ How to pronounce well-meaning (audio)
1
: having good intentions
well-meaning but misguided idealists
2
: based on good intentions
well-meaning advice

Examples of well-meaning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Enter Ned Sampson, an ebullient, well-meaning, and overly earnest Softees salesman extraordinaire who’s transferred from Chicago to Toledo to run TTT. Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025 And this is where so many well-meaning people lose their way. Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025 Sam’s science fiction action adventure spotlights life on the margins if also on the fringes of deep space, its two main characters a pair of well-meaning outcasts outrunning the law. Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025 Often these sorts of well-meaning endeavors never actually start, or the ones that do end shortly after beginning. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for well-meaning

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of well-meaning was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Well-meaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-meaning. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

well-meaning

adjective
well-mean·​ing
-ˈmē-niŋ
: having or based on good intentions

More from Merriam-Webster on well-meaning

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