WELFARE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does welfare mean? 

• WELFARE (noun)
  The noun WELFARE has 3 senses:

1. governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need

2. something that aids or promotes well-being

3. a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous

  Familiarity information: WELFARE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WELFARE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

public assistance; social welfare; welfare

Context example:

she lives on welfare

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

benefit; welfare

Context example:

for the benefit of all

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

eudaemonia; eudaimonia; upbeat; welfare; well-being; wellbeing

Context example:

the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles

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 

The animal welfare assurance number issued by the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) after research protocols and evaluations are reviewed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

(IACUC Number, NCI Thesaurus)

An organization that approves, monitors and reviews biomedical research to protect the rights, safety and welfare of the study subjects.

(Oversight Committee, NCI Thesaurus)

She wished him very well; but he gave her pain, and his welfare twenty miles off would administer most satisfaction.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

The science and technology concerned with the procurement, selection, health and welfare of animals used in research and testing.

(Laboratory Animal Science, NCI Thesaurus)

The mischief such a man does on an estate, both as to the credit of his employer and the welfare of the poor, is inconceivable.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Indeed, brother, your anxiety for our welfare and prosperity carries you too far.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

The office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that protects the rights, welfare, and well-being of people involved in clinical trials.

(Office for Human Research Protections, NCI Dictionary)

I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the police or your local child welfare agency.

(Child Abuse, NIH)

Back in January of this year, you were either worried about the health or welfare of your steady, established partner or were wondering if you should stay together because things were so rocky.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)