mean well
idiom
: to want to do good or helpful things : to have good intentions
He means well, but he's not really helping anyone.
Examples of mean well in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Overwhelming goals, inconsistent routines, and accountability partners who mean well but have their own lives to manage can all contribute to our resolutions falling apart.
—
Maha Abouelenein, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
According to a 2023 survey conducted by Thriving Center for Psychology, 67% of those who had been ghosted had also ghosted other people, which points to a perpetual cycle where people who mean well turn into the very thing that is so upsetting to them.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
The soldiers mean well, constantly proffering money in the hope of receiving some modicum of cooperation that never materializes.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2011
The mothers wielding professional expertise mean well.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 23 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for mean well
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Maha Abouelenein, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
According to a 2023 survey conducted by Thriving Center for Psychology, 67% of those who had been ghosted had also ghosted other people, which points to a perpetual cycle where people who mean well turn into the very thing that is so upsetting to them.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
The soldiers mean well, constantly proffering money in the hope of receiving some modicum of cooperation that never materializes.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2011
The mothers wielding professional expertise mean well.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 23 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for mean well
Cite this Entry
“Mean well.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mean%20well. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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