How to Use well-meaning in a Sentence
well-meaning
adjective-
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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The tales are often boring, marked by a well-meaning blandness — by an avoidance of uncomfortable truths.
—Kabir Chibber, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
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These are well-meaning lessons, if by now wearyingly familiar ones.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
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At some point, you’ve probably been nagged by your doctor, an overly concerned parent, or a well-meaning health site (hello!) to wear SPF.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 21 June 2023
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When the Hur report came out, that was directly critical of Biden and referred to him as a well-meaning old man with memory issues.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
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That quality can also be seen in the story of Ken, who is distinctively a himbo—a sweet, well-meaning man who might not always be the brightest.
—Time, 6 July 2023
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As the well-meaning mother of a teenage son discovering himself in the social media stone age, Chen really shines.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 28 June 2024
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Our research focused on what drives this skepticism of allies, and how well-meaning allies might do better.
—Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
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As with most new government rules, the good intentions are always touted by well-meaning sponsors.
—Amber Gunn, National Review, 17 Dec. 2023
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Life with a small child seems inundated with well-meaning workarounds encased in clear containers of hope and despair.
—Hazlitt, 27 Sep. 2023
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The questions come from a concerned and well-meaning place and often happen after hours when doctors aren’t readily available.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 30 Nov. 2023
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Even back then his desire to be the center of attention and get laughs from his friends by any means necessary outweighed the adolescent outrage that can come from the nagging of a well-meaning parent.
—Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
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At their best, EAs are well-meaning people who aspire to rigorous analysis.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024
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There is a new widow whose loathsome husband is kept alive by an app installed by her supposedly well-meaning sister.
—Ellen Akins, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
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Girls State is a sharp study of how a well-meaning civics program can simultaneously inspire and limit young women.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
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Several well-meaning members of the Japan Sumo Association are the first to volunteer shade.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2023
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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