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WELFARE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
Example:
she lives on welfare
Synonyms:
public assistance; social welfare; welfare
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("welfare" is a kind of...):
aid; assistance; economic aid; economic assistance; financial aid; financial assistance (gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "welfare"):
social insurance (government provision for unemployed, injured, or aged people; financed by contributions from employers and employees as well as by government revenue)
relief (aid for the aged or indigent or handicapped)
dole; pogey; pogy (money received from the state)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Something that aids or promotes well-being
Example:
for the benefit of all
Synonyms:
benefit; welfare
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("welfare" is a kind of...):
good; goodness (that which is pleasing or valuable or useful)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "welfare"):
advantage; reward (benefit resulting from some event or action)
interest; sake (a reason for wanting something done)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous
Example:
the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles
Synonyms:
eudaemonia; eudaimonia; upbeat; welfare; well-being; wellbeing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("welfare" is a kind of...):
prosperity; successfulness (the condition of prospering; having good fortune)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "welfare"):
fool's paradise (an illusory state of wellbeing)
health; wellness (a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease)
Context examples:
“An altruistic act is an act performed for the welfare of others. It is unselfish, as opposed to an act performed for self, which is selfish.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should affect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
There she had listened to Henrietta's schemes for Dr Shirley's leaving Uppercross; farther on, she had first seen Mr Elliot; a moment seemed all that could now be given to any one but Louisa, or those who were wrapt up in her welfare.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
As I was already much attached to Mr. Dick, and very solicitous for his welfare, my fears favoured this supposition; and for a long time his Wednesday hardly ever came round, without my entertaining a misgiving that he would not be on the coach-box as usual.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
A sudden scud of rain, driving full in her face, made it impossible for her to observe anything further, and fixed all her thoughts on the welfare of her new straw bonnet; and she was actually under the abbey walls, was springing, with Henry's assistance, from the carriage, was beneath the shelter of the old porch, and had even passed on to the hall, where her friend and the general were waiting to welcome her, without feeling one awful foreboding of future misery to herself, or one moment's suspicion of any past scenes of horror being acted within the solemn edifice.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
I felt a conscientious solicitude for Adele's welfare and progress, and a quiet liking for her little self: just as I cherished towards Mrs. Fairfax a thankfulness for her kindness, and a pleasure in her society proportionate to the tranquil regard she had for me, and the moderation of her mind and character.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency; he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
The sole grievance and alloy thus removed in the prospect of Harriet's welfare, she was really in danger of becoming too happy for security.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
His attentive behaviour to herself and his sisters convinced her that their welfare was dear to him, and, for a long time, she firmly relied on the liberality of his intentions.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
It had been real business, relative to the renewal of a lease in which the welfare of a large and—he believed—industrious family was at stake.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
