well 
You cannot anger him worse than to doe well. 
Bp. Earle, Micro-cosiuographie, A Detractor. 
'Tis as certain that the work was well done at first, 
seeing it performs it's office so well, at so great a distance 
of time. Maundrell, Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 52. 
Men who die on a scaffold for political offences almost 
always die well. Macaulay, flallam's Const. Hist. 
2. In a satisfactory or pleasing manner ; ac- 
cording to desire, taste, or the like ; fortunate- 
ly; happily; favorably: as, to live or fare well; 
to succeed well in business ; to be well situated. 
The same dayc the wynde fell xrell in our wayo. 
Sir II. Guylfurde, Pylgryma^e, p. 61. 
To make a savcry pcre and weel smellinge. 
Palladium, Husljondric (E. E. T. S.), p. 89. 
Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met. 
Shak., M. W. of W., L 1. 200. 
T.-ike your fortune ; 
If you come off weU, praise your wit. 
Fletcher, Spanish Curate, i. 1. 
3. With satisfaction or gratifieation; com- 
mendably; agreeably; highly; excellently: 
as, to be well entertained or pleased. 
I hear so wWi of your Proceedings that I should rather 
commend than encourage you. Howell, Letters, I. v. 9. 
All the world speaks well of you. Pope. 
A m»n who thinks sufficiently rcell of himself is never 
»hjr. T. A. Trollope, What I Remember, p. 117. 
4. In reality; fairly; practically; fully. 
For blyU'l men (as I haue feill) 
Can nocht decerne fair colours weill. 
Lauder, Dewtio of Kyngis (E. E. T. S.\ 1. 451. 
Would they were both wdl ont of the room ! 
Sheridan, School for Scandal, iv. 3. 
Though winter l>e ()vcr in March by rights, 
Tis May perhaps ere the snow shall have withered well 
off the heights. Browning, I'p at a Villa. 
It is evident that before the l.'Jth century had well l)e- 
gun an historical compendium of great vuhie had already 
been drawn up. Quarterly Rev., CLXII. 314. 
6. To a good or fair degree ; not slightly or 
moderately ; adequately : as, to be well deserv- 
ing ; to sleep well ; a icc//-known author. 
Whanno he was come the kyng be held hym well. 
And liked him right well in eucry thyng. 
Generydes (T.. E. T. S.), 1. 468. 
She looketh well to the ways of her household. 
Prov. xxxi. 27. 
Pray thee advise thyself loell. 
B. Jomon, Every Man in his Humour, i. 3. 
Look you, this ring doth fit me passing wfll. 
Dekker and Webster, Northward Ho, i. 1. 
Full well they laughed, with counterfeited glee. 
At all his jokes, fur many a joke h:id he. 
Ooldtmith, Ues. Vil., 1. 201. 
I have heard of a military engineer who knew so well 
how a bridge should lie built that he could never buibl 
one. Lowell, Coleridge. 
6. To a large extent ; greatly, either in an ab- 
solute or in a relative sense. 
The kyng was wele in age, I yow ensur. 
Geiwrydes(r.. E. T. S.), 1. 190.-). 
Aton is from thens southwardes wele towarde Jherusa- 
lem, within the londe and not vpon the see. 
Sir R. Ouyljorde, Pylgrymage, p. 48. 
She wears her bonnet well back on her lieud. 
O. H'. Ilohnet, Professor, vii. 
7. Conformably to state or circurastaneeH; 
with propriety; conveniently; advantageously; 
justifiably: as, I cannot wilt afford it. 
A little evil 
May well l)e suffer'd for a general goo<l, sir. 
Fletcher, Wife for a Month, iv. 2. 
To know 
In measure what the mind may iri'll contain. 
Milton, i: h., vii. 128. 
You may well ask " What is to know ? " for the expression 
Is an ambiguous one. .yiimit, Nature and Thought, p. 28. 
8. Conformably to requirement or obligation : 
with due heed ordiligence; carefully; conscien- 
tiously: now only in the legal jihrase well and 
truhf,'a,s part of an oath or undertaking. 
Ther for tn heryii, wele and dcuowteliche, a messo bipI 
empliche souugyn. Eiuitigh Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 47. 
Bequyke and redy, meke and seruisable, 
Wele awaityng to fulfylle anonu 
What that thy souerayne comav[nlditlie the to be done. 
Bakes Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 3(1. 
In (elonlea the oath administered |to jurors] is "Vou 
shall well and truly try. and true deliverance make l)e- 
tween our sovereign lady the Queen and the prisoner at 
the bar, etc." Encijc. Brit., XVII. 7ol. 
9t. Entirely; fully; quite; in full measure. 
That Castellc [Bethanyel is wet a Myle long fro Jeru- 
salem. Mandeviiie, Travels, p. 97. 
The elder brother hade a sonne to dtrke, 
Welle of fyftene wynter of age. 
Political l-uems, etc. (c<l. Fundvall), p. 98. 
Be these thre men uvle of thi (!r.imseile? 
.tfpr/m(E. E. T. S.), i. 38. 
10. Very; much; very much: obsulcte except 
in well ni/;h (see weU-)ii;ili). 
With-oute presentz or pens, she plesetli wel fewe. 
Piers Plowman (H), ill. 161. 
6875 
Wel litel thynken ye upon my wo. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. 515. 
Thei tit agon turned, to telle the sothe, 
& here hem wi beter then thei bi-fore hade. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3830. 
11. Elliptically, it is well; so be it: used as a 
sign of assent, either in earnest, in indifference, 
or in irony, or 'with other shades of meaning, as 
a prelude to a further statement, and often as 
a mere introductory expletive. 
Well, I shall live to see your husbands beat you. 
Beau, and FL, Captiiin, iii. 3. 
Well now, look at our villa ! Browning, Up at a Villa. 
Well ~'ii& well that I should bluster! 
Tennyson, Locksley Hall. 
As well, also : equally ; besides : used absolutely. 
I have trusted thee, Cannllo, 
With all the nearest things to my heart, as well 
My chamber-councils. Shak., W. T., i. 2. 236. 
It is not simply a house. It is a person, as it were, as 
well. H. James, Jr., Little Tour, p. 93. 
As well as. .See asl.— As well ... as, both . . . and ; 
one equally with the other ; jointly. 
Stake owt all kindes of fortiflcac[i]ons, as ivell to pre- 
vent the mine and sappe as the Canon. 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 4. 
In polity, as well ecclesiastical as civil, there are and 
will be always evils which no art of man can cure, breaches 
and leaks more than man's wit hath hands to stop. 
Honker, Eccles. Polity, v. 9. 
Just as well, improperly used by some writers for *all 
the same.' 
Her aged lover made her presents, but just as well she 
hated the sight of him. 
Quoted in It. G. White's Words and their I'ses, p. 184. 
Sowellast. See«oi.— TogoweU. Sei '/».— Tospeak 
well for. See speak. — WeU. enough, in .1 moderate ile- 
gree ; so as to give moderate satisfaction, or so as to rc- 
(lUire no alteration.— Well heeled. See heeled, 2.— Well 
met. See Tneed.— Well must ye. Sec jiiHSfl.— Well 
nigh, very nearly ; almost: of ten compounded. Sua well- 
nigh. 
Jly steps had urll nigh slipped. Pa. Ixxiii. 2. 
One that is well-nigh worn to pieces. 
Shak., M. W. of W., ii. 1. 21. 
Well Off, in a good condition, especially as to property. 
See of, a., 6. 
George will have all my property, but Frank is nearly 
as well off, barring the baronetcy. 
T. Hook, Fathers and Sons, i. 
Well spoken. See speak. 
(Of the proper compounds of well with participial adjec- 
tives, only those are given below which are in standard 
use, or the meaning of which is not directly obvious. In 
regard to the improper joining of well -w'lih participles 
in regular verbal i^onstruction, see rem.ark under ill. \ 
well- (wel), «. and «. [< «•<■//-, adv., and in most 
uses still strictly an adv.] I. a. 1. Agreeable 
to wish or desire; satisfactory as to condition 
or relation ; fortunate ; opportune ; propitious : 
only predicative, and most commonly used in 
impersonal clauses. 
Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it 
well with tlie child ? And she answered. It is well. 
2 Ki. iv. 26. 
Striving to bettor, oft we mar what's well. 
Shak., Lear, i. 4. 309. 
All is well as it can bo 
I'pori this earth where all has end. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise. I. 3.M. 
2. Satisfactory in kind or character; suitable; 
proper ; right ; good : as, was it well to do this ? 
the well ordering of a household. 
Thei woldcn awyrien that wist for his well dedcs. 
Piers Plowman's Crede (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6«2. 
Olym. Is't not a handsome wimch? 
Gent. She is well enough, madam. 
Fletcher, I.oyal Subject, i. 2. 
It is a more common thei\ convenient saying that nine 
Taylors make a man ; it were well if nineteen could make 
a woman to her minde. N. Ward, Simple Cobler, p. 28. 
Jeremy Bentham's logic, by which he proved (hat he 
cunliln't p.issibly see aghoet, is all very well in the day- 
time. O. W. Holmes, Professor, viii. 
3. In a good state or condition; well off; com- 
fortable; free from trouble: used predicative- 
ly: as, I am (piite well where I am. 
One woman is fair, yet I am well ; another is wise, yet 
I am well. Shak., Mucli Ado, ii. 3. 2!^. 
4t. In good standing; favorably situated or con- 
nected ; enjoying consideration : used preiiica- 
tively. 
He '. . . was well with Henry the Fourth. Dryden. 
5. In good health; not sick or ailing; in a 
sound condition as to body or mind : usually 
predicative: as, he is now well, or (colloquially) 
a well man. 
I am now as well 
As any living man ; why not as valiant? 
Fletcher, Humorous Lieutenant, ii. 4. 
He proceeded to acquaint her who of quality was well 
or sick witldn the bills of mortality. 
.'ileele, Tatler, No. 207. 
To let well alone. See («n.- well to llvet, having a 
competence; in comfortable circumstances. Compare 
well-to-do. 
well-being 
You're a made old man ; . . . you're well to live. 
Shak., W. T., iii. 3. 125. 
Welltopassl. See pa.fK. = Syn. 5. Hale, hearty, sound. 
Il.t «• That which is well or good; good state, 
health, or fortune. [Bare.] 
" ! how," sayd he, " mote I that well out find. 
That may restore you to your wonted well ? " 
Spenser, F. Q., I. ii. 43. 
well-acquainted (wel'a-kwan'ted), a. Having 
intimate acquaintance or ijersonal knowledge. 
As if I were their well-acquainted friend. 
Shak., C. of E., iv. 3. 2. 
welladay (wel'a-da), interj. An altered form 
of wellaway, siniulating rf«^ — the present time, 
either as the witness or the cause of distress, 
being often brought into ejaculations of this 
kind. See wellaway. 
well-a-day. Mistress Ford ! having an honest man to 
your husband, to give him such cause oi suspicion ! 
Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 3. 106. 
Ah ! woe is me ; woe, woe is me ; 
Alack and well-a-day '. 
Herrick, Hesperidcs (The Mad Maid's Song). 
well-advised (wel'ad-vizd' ),n. Accordant with 
good advice or careful reflection ; considerate ; 
prudent : as, a well-adiised proceeding. 
well-aneart (wel'a-ner'), adv. [Also weU-aiiere 
(given as wetl-an-ere in Halliwell) as an excla- 
mation; < «-e?/2 -I- aiiear. In the exclamatory 
use anear seems to supply the same vague ref- 
erence to the present time as day in welladay.'] 
Almost immediately ; very soon. 
Tlie lady shrieks, and well-a-near 
Docs fall in travail with her fear. 
Shak., Pericles, iii., Prol., 1. 61. 
well-appointed (wel'a-poiu'ted), a. 1. Com- 
plete in appointment or equipment; furnished 
with all requisites ; in good trim. 
The gentle Archbishop of York is up. 
With U'ell-appointed powers. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., i. 1. 190. 
They [defenders of the established religion] were a nu- 
merous, an intrepid, and a well-appointed band of com- 
batants. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., vi. 
Hence — 2t. Dominant; protective; auspicious. 
Or seen her well-appointed star 
Come marcliing up tlie eastern liill afar. Cowley. 
Well-appointedness (wera-poin'ted-nes), ». 
The state or condition of being well-appointed. 
[Bare.] 
Her actual smartness, as London people would call it, 
her urll-apjtointedness, and her evident command of more 
than one manner. //. James, Jr., Tragic Muse, xxvi. 
wellaway (wel'a-wa), i)ifevj. [< ME. wellawaye, 
weluway, wayleway, waylaway, walaway, weyla- 
wey, weleaway, trei la wei, wo la wn, etc.. < AS. 
wd Id wd, wdid wd, an exclamation of surprise 
or distress: »■«, woe; Id, lo; hy(, woe. Hence, 
by variation, welUidiiy.'] An exclamation ex- 
pressive of grief or sorrow, eijuivalent to alas. 
Tim salt, after the thridde dei, 
Ben do on ri)de, wcUa-wei! 
Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2088. 
This is the lif of this lordis that lyuen shuUle with Do-bet, 
And wel-a-wey wers and I shulde al telle. 
Piers Plotmnan (A), xi. 215. 
I have hem don dishononre, walaway! 
Chaucer, 'I'roilns, v. 1066. 
In Scarlet towne, where I was borne. 
There was a faire maid dwellin. 
Made every youth crye Wel awaye ! 
Her name was Barbara Allen. 
Ilarlmra Allen's Cruelty (ChiWs Ballads, IT. 1.58). 
wellawayt, ". [iwellaway, interj.'] Woe; misery. 
For his glotonie and his grete scleuthe he hath a greuous 
penaunce. 
That is ivelawo whan he waketh and wepeth for colde. 
Piers Plomnan (B), xiv. 235. 
Wot no wight what werre is, ther as pees regneth, 
Ne what is witeriiclie wele til wele-a-way hym teche. 
Piers Pl<nc'man(C), xxi. 239. 
well-balanced (wel'bal'anst), n. Rightly bal- 
anced; properly ad justed or regulated ; not con- 
fused or disorderly. 
The well-balanced world on hinges hung. 
Milton, Nativity, 1. 122. 
A teell-balarwed moral nature consists of a large variety 
of mental forces, wbicli do not easily group tliemsclvis 
under one or two general aspects. 
J. Sully, Sensation and Intuition, p. 269. 
well-behaved (wel'be-hfivd'), a. Of good be- 
liavior or conduct; becoming in manner; cour- 
teous; civil. 
Such orderly and well-behaved rejiroof to all nnconu-li- 
ness. Shiik., M. W. of W., ii. 1. .W. 
well-being (wel'be'ing), )(. [< well'- + ticiii)/.'] 
Well-conditioned existence: good mode of be- 
ing; moi'al or physical welfare; a state of life 
which secures or tends toward happiness. 
Sometimes written weltbeini/. 
