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
  • 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
  • As to those well-meaning folks who offer you these pep talks, be polite.
    Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 4 June 2023
  • Nice, well-meaning folks don’t raise a man who can take a life without blinking an eye.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
  • 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
  • Some are clear mess-ups, the short-fuse snaps or hurtful comments that even well-meaning parents make.
    Isabella Cueto, STAT, 17 July 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Without the right tools, even well-meaning philanthropists can slow down their progress and impact.
    Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • For some, the hollow, well-meaning sympathy proves too harsh to stomach.
    Joseph Lezza, Longreads, 30 Mar. 2023
  • 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
  • Or, your well-meaning mother won’t stop grilling you about still being single.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 26 Dec. 2024
  • But even well-meaning physicians are not immune to the dynamic.
    Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023
  • The dragonflies and ants captivated me more than the text or my well-meaning teacher.
    Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2023
  • 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
  • Its other big boon is sweet, innocent, well-meaning Hank.
    Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
  • Hur concluded a jury would find Biden a well-meaning old man who was forgetful.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
  • 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
  • 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
  • Avoid any area that resembles a runway for children, dogs, even well-meaning neighbors.
    Cindy Bruecks, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Dec. 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Unfortunately, these well-meaning programs can bring out the worst in people.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Even well-meaning expressions of doubt can discourage your partner from taking risks or exploring their passions.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Jan. 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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