well 1 of 4

adverb

Definition of wellnext
1
as in fine
in a satisfactory way our current system for dividing household chores works well, so let's keep it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in generously
in a generous manner a warm and gracious host who always treats guests well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in masterfully
in a skillful or expert manner she plays the piano very well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in kindly
with good reason or courtesy we cannot well get out of going to your cousin's wedding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in nicely
in a pleasing way the day went well, despite the rough beginning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in perfectly
to a full extent or degree we are well aware that this home renovation is going to be costly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in smoothly
without difficulty he can well afford to spare the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

well

2 of 4

interjection

as in oh
how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable well, that is odd!

Synonyms & Similar Words

well

3 of 4

noun

ˈwel How to pronounce well (audio)
1
as in source
a point or place at which something is invented or provided his quirkily dysfunctional family proved to be a bottomless well of inspiration for the novelist

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pool
a small often deep body of water the spot where the spring bubbles up to the surface and forms a deep well

Synonyms & Similar Words

well

4 of 4

adjective

as in healthy
enjoying health and vigor my mother is quite well, thank you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word well distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of well are hale, healthy, robust, sound, and wholesome. While all these words mean "enjoying or indicative of good health," well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.

she has never been a well person

When could hale be used to replace well?

While the synonyms hale and well are close in meaning, hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.

still hale at the age of eighty

Where would healthy be a reasonable alternative to well?

Although the words healthy and well have much in common, healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

a healthy family

In what contexts can robust take the place of well?

The words robust and well are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.

a lively, robust little boy

When is it sensible to use sound instead of well?

In some situations, the words sound and well are roughly equivalent. However, sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

a sound heart

When would wholesome be a good substitute for well?

While in some cases nearly identical to well, wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.

a face with a wholesome glow

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of well
Adverb
By the twenty-first century, the male population had long since recovered, but there was still a sense, bordering on panic, that good men—single, decent, with well-paying jobs—were an endangered species. —Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025 As is quite often the case with the streamer, things could turn out better than projected. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2025
Interjection
When Ashton reacted terribly, well, he got pushed off that cliff. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025 Hailey Bieber has been standing 10 toes—well, nails—down on the glass-nail trend, but switched things up for the 2025 Academy Museum Gala. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
Freeland added drip irrigation lines to his pumpkin field by pumping water from his well. —Asher Redd, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025 In particular, Wimberger's bill limits aid to communities that have a public drinking water system, because there are currently no standards in place for those with private drinking water wells. —Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The ads for it were…well, pure 1970s. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025 Crockpots are still made well, as are, in my experience anyway, the more modernized version: Instant Pots. —Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for well
Recent Examples of Synonyms for well
  1. fine
  2. generously
  3. masterfully
  4. kindly
  5. nicely
  6. perfectly
  7. smoothly
  8. source
Adverb
  • Richardson’s fine-toothed research establishes Peter’s importance as a writer and a singular inhabitant of his time.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The team is getting along fine without Janmark on the penalty kill, and one of the players being used is Savoie, a rookie.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of fine
Adverb
  • The tree came with warm lights that generously illuminate and were a breeze to set up.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Season generously with salt to taste, enough to bring out the full flavor of the chicken.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Definition of generously
Adverb
  • The crawlspace at Gacy’s house, masterfully recreated by the production design team, is where the victims’ journeys ended.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • That time-out was just what was needed to establish that her show isn’t too masterfully polished.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Definition of masterfully
Adverb
  • Out of each family only one will kindly say thank you or acknowledge the gift.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Out of each family, only one grandchild will kindly say thank you or acknowledge the gift.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of kindly
Adverb
  • Past outages on this scale have been caused by a wide variety of errors, including faulty updates, the accidental injection of bad code, or a change to third-party software that doesn’t play nicely with a service.
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Berg gets a good night’s sleep because of its Goldilocks blend of breathable comfort and sustainability, which go along nicely with its impressive durability and cooling gel memory foam that is ideal for hot sleepers.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Definition of nicely
Adverb
  • And a fourth-quarter catch-and-run from tight end Theo Johnson — on a pass that popped into the air off the hands of Wan’Dale Robinson — perfectly summed up the day, as Johnson put rookie corner Jahdae Barron in the turf for good measure.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Mac did a great ball, perfectly on time.
    — Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Definition of perfectly
Adverb
  • In September, Gilligan told Entertainment Weekly that Carol's plan to figure out what's happening is not going to go smoothly.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
  • As a result, my 2024 eclipse experience went infinitely more smoothly than my first time around.
    — Maya Silver, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
Definition of smoothly
Noun
  • Jourdan is a relatively calm ghost (staff report objects being moved around the restaurant), but there’s a slightly more active spirit in the Courtyard Bar, where there have been three instances of an unknown source throwing a glass from across the room.
    — Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are both good sources of dietary fiber, protein, magnesium, and other essential nutrients.
    — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2025
Definition of source

Phrases Containing well

Browse Nearby Words

welkins
well
well-adjusted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Well.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/well. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on well

Nglish: Translation of well for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Real (and Perceived) Redundant Words

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

8 Real (and Perceived) Redundant Words

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sequel spelled three ways with the incorrect ways crossed out and the correct spelling circled
Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz Where are those red squiggly underlines when you ...
See All