social welfare

noun

: organized public or private social services for the assistance of disadvantaged groups
specifically : social work

Examples of social welfare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Finally, Europe is beset with a nationalist populism and growing social welfare costs just as military expenditures are set to increase. John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025 Examining much more closely the cost of maintaining the large-state, social welfare model that disincentivizes private initiative. Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 China's leadership is eager to reverse the trend, as the soaring number of elderly citizens is expected to increase the burden on families and strain the country's social welfare systems, sapping vitality from the world's second-largest economy. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025 Statistical analysis of democratic and authoritarian countries indicates that once government spending on social welfare, including for the elderly, crosses 25 percent as a proportion of a country’s budget, the likelihood that the country will initiate a militarized dispute declines significantly. Mark L. Haas, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for social welfare

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of social welfare was in 1912

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Cite this Entry

“Social welfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20welfare. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

social welfare

noun
social wel·​fare -ˈwel-ˌfa(ə)r, -ˌfe(ə)r How to pronounce social welfare (audio)
: organized public or private social services for the assistance of disadvantaged groups
specifically : social work

More from Merriam-Webster on social welfare

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