welfare

pronunciation

How to pronounce welfare in British English: UK [ˈwelfeə(r)]word uk audio image

How to pronounce welfare in American English: US [ˈwelfer] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
    something that aids or promotes well-being
    a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous

Word Origin

welfare (n.)
c. 1300, from Old English wel faran "condition of being or doing well," from wel (see well (adv.)) + faran "get along" (see fare (v.)). Similar formation in Old Norse velferð. Meaning "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is first attested 1904; meaning "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" is from 1918. Welfare state is recorded from 1941.

Synonym

Antonym

n.

misery

Example

1. State welfare based on paper money is a curse .
2. Welfare losses are small because there are big movements of people northward .
3. Another problem is size , which makes welfare especially hard .
4. Britain too is reforming schools and simplifying welfare .
5. He has also trimmed the welfare state .

more: >How to Use "welfare" with Example Sentences