How to Use well-meaning in a Sentence
well-meaning
adjective-
To play it safe, Lennon flushed it down the toilet — much to the disappointment of the well-meaning Smith.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024
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Romance is also in the air for Muriel’s, who’s been fixed up by her well-meaning friends.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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As to those well-meaning folks who offer you these pep talks, be polite.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 4 June 2023
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Nice, well-meaning folks don’t raise a man who can take a life without blinking an eye.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
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Many well-meaning gardeners and nature lovers feed whole or carved pumpkins to deer at the end of fall.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
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Some are clear mess-ups, the short-fuse snaps or hurtful comments that even well-meaning parents make.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 17 July 2023
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Sometimes well-meaning adults try to keep the padding in place anyway, only to make things harder for the child.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
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The West Wing represents the most earnest end of the spectrum, showing us well-meaning adults running the country.
—Whizy Kim, Vox, 23 July 2024
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When users don’t trust a platform, even well-meaning attempts to make things better can make things worse.
—Scott Duke Kominers, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2024
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To someone who fell forward, burned on their front, and was then rolled over by a well-meaning bystander, burning the back of their body too.
—Lane Sainty, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
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Without the right tools, even well-meaning philanthropists can slow down their progress and impact.
—Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
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The incident is just par for the course for Gomez, Hollywood’s busiest—if most well-meaning—gossip girl.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 11 Jan. 2024
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In 2016, the well-meaning liberals who would later display in-this-house signs on their lawns were in the market for a certain kind of book.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 23 July 2024
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His actions during that flight were a well-meaning attempt simply to wake himself up from the dream.
—Jolie Lash, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
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For some, the hollow, well-meaning sympathy proves too harsh to stomach.
—Joseph Lezza, Longreads, 30 Mar. 2023
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But along with the excitement also comes the advice of well-meaning abuelos, tías, cousins, and friends on how to raise our children.
—Lola Sanchez, Parents, 29 May 2024
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Or, your well-meaning mother won’t stop grilling you about still being single.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 26 Dec. 2024
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But even well-meaning physicians are not immune to the dynamic.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023
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The dragonflies and ants captivated me more than the text or my well-meaning teacher.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2023
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Ultimately, the actor is remembered by many of the show’s cast and crew as a gifted, well-meaning artist.
—Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2024
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Its other big boon is sweet, innocent, well-meaning Hank.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
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So my target was the well-meaning white liberal who was saying exactly the wrong things to the civil rights movement.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2025
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Hur concluded a jury would find Biden a well-meaning old man who was forgetful.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
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Yet, this well-meaning act unwittingly deepens the crisis in the Human Realm.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
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Perhaps most upsetting, though, was the pose taken by a professor — a well-meaning white man who pantomimed a big, warm bear hug.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
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And Kylie, 32, warns well-meaning admirers that gushing to her about pending motherhood do so at their own risk.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
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Avoid any area that resembles a runway for children, dogs, even well-meaning neighbors.
—Cindy Bruecks, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Dec. 2023
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Victims of Tropical Storm Hilary and well-meaning people looking to help them should be on the lookout for these common scams.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
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Other well-meaning passengers will sometimes offer their seat to me so that my son and I can sit together.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
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There is so much contradictory and confusing information out there that the most reasonable course for any well-meaning user is to disbelieve all of it.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'well-meaning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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