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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From well (“in a desirable manner; so as one could wish”, adverb) + wisher.
Noun
well-wisher (plural well-wishers)
- Someone who extends good wishes, or expresses sympathy, to someone else.
- Synonyms: good willer, (archaic) well-willer
- Antonyms: (archaic) evil willer, (obsolete) ill-willer
1711 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Richard Steele], “WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 48; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, , volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, pages 308–309:[T]hose honest gentlemen that are always exposed to the wit and raillery of their well-wishers and companions; that are pelted by men, women, and children, friends and foes, and in a word, stand as butts in conversation, for every one to shoot at that pleases.
1716 January 20 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 6. Monday, January 9. ”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; , volume IV, London: Jacob Tonson, , published 1721, →OCLC, page 380:[T]he actual traytor or rebel is guilty of perjury in the eye of the lavv; the ſecret promoter, or vvell-vviſher of the cauſe, is ſo before the Tribunal of conſcience.
1761, Titus Livius [i.e., Livy], chapter L, in , transl., Titus Livius’s Roman History from the Building of the City. , volume VII, Edinburgh: A Donaldson and J Reid, for Alexander Donaldson, →OCLC, book XXXIII, page 235:Nor did he ſeem to have made an unreaſonable reply to them both, and it vvas eaſy for a ſpeech to be received favorably amongſt vvellvviſhers.
1770, “Letter XIV. Miss Lavinia Rawlins, to Mrs. Gertrude Coningsby.”, in The History of Lavinia Rawlins. , 2nd edition, volume I, London: or the editor; and sold by F. Noble, ; and J. Noble, , page 111:[G]ive me the hopes of my dear girl's approaching felicity, equal to the deſires of / Her ſincereſt VVellvviſher, / LAVINIA RAWLINS.
1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], “An Old-World Landlady”, in St Ronan’s Well. , volume I, Edinburgh: [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, pages 21–22:She had still, however, her friends and well-wishers, many of whom thought, that as she was a lone woman, and known to be well to pass in the world, she would act wisely to retire from public life, and take down a sign which had no longer fascination for guests.
1827, [Thomas Hamilton], chapter III, in The Youth and Manhood of Cyril Thornton. , volume II, Edinburgh: William Blackwood; London: T[homas] Cadell, →OCLC, page 70:"You see before you," she said, with choking utterance, "one who, fallen and degraded as she is, would still venture to hope that she has a friend, at least a wellwisher, in Mr Thornton. If I am mistaken in this, alas! I am friendless."
1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Levitical”, in Shirley. A Tale. , volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., , →OCLC, page 15:"[…] [I]t would be a nice opportunity for any of his well-wishers to pay him a visit, if they knew how straight the path was made before them." / "I am none of his well-wishers, sir: I don't care for him."
1962 August, “Society Column: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, unnumbered page:Already a J72 0-6-0T has been promised by a well-wisher and will be re-painted in North Eastern Railway livery.
2020 January 15, Nigel Harris, “HST’s East Coast Farewell Tour”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34:At each stopping place I stepped out of the train to chat to well-wishers.
- (obsolete, rare) Followed by to: someone who has an ambition to be or become something.
1711 March 18 (Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter XVII.”, in Thomas Sheridan and John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, , new edition, volume XIV, London: J Johnson, , published 1801, →OCLC, page 372:I never saw your chancellor, nor his chaplain. The latter has a good deal of learning, and is a well wisher to be an author: your chancellor is an excellent man.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
someone who extends good wishes to someone else
- Belarusian: добразычлі́вец m (dobrazyčlívjec), добразычлі́ўка f (dobrazyčlíŭka), зычлі́вец m (zyčlívjec), зычлі́ўка f (zyčlíŭka)
- Bengali: খয়ের খাঁ (bn) (khoẏer khã)
- Bulgarian: доброжела́тел (bg) m (dobroželátel)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 祝福者 (zhùfúzhě)
- Finnish: onnentoivottaja (fi), onnittelija (fi)
- German: Wohlwünscher m, Wohlwünscherin f
- Hindi: शुभेच्छु m (śubhecchu)
- Icelandic: velunnari m
- Irish: lucht dea-mhéine m (literally “well-wishers”)
- Kazakh: батагөй (batagöi)
- Latin: benevolus m
- Latvian: labvēlis m
- Macedonian: доброна́мерник m (dobronámernik)
- Magahi: 𑂎𑂩𑂎𑂰𑂯 (kharkhāh)
- Polish: sympatyk (pl) m
- Romanian: voitor de bine (ro) m
- Russian: доброжела́тель (ru) m (dobroželátelʹ), доброжела́тельница (ru) f (dobroželátelʹnica)
- Tamil: வேண்டியவன் (ta) (vēṇṭiyavaṉ)
- Telugu: శ్రేయోభిలాషి (śrēyōbhilāṣi)
- Ukrainian: добрози́чливець m (dobrozýčlyvecʹ), доброзичли́вець m (dobrozyčlývecʹ), добрози́чливиця f (dobrozýčlyvycja), доброзичли́виця f (dobrozyčlývycja), зи́чливець m (zýčlyvecʹ), зичли́вець m (zyčlývecʹ), зи́чливиця f (zýčlyvycja), зичли́виця f (zyčlývycja)
- Urdu: خیر خواہ ? (xair-xvāh, xair-xāh)
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someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
See also
Etymology 2
From well (“hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, etc.”) + wisher.
Noun
well-wisher (plural well-wishers)
- (nonce word, rare) Someone who makes a wish at a wishing well.
2008, Alan Pinkett, chapter 12, in Utta Drivel Too, [S.l.]: [Lulu.com], published 2015, →ISBN, page 45:They strolled on and passed a smiling man standing by the Village wishing well. "Well," said the well-wisher. Ah … must be the Village idiot.
2014, Nancy Atherton, chapter 7, in Aunt Dimity & the Wishing Well (Aunt Dimity series; 19), London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 67:"I'll put a removable lid on it [a wishing well]," he assured her. "That way, it'll be safe for the nippers, but accessible to, um, well wishers. Have a wish in mind, Bree?"
2019, A. A. A. Aardvark , Quit before You’re Fired, and Other Visions through Inertia, : , →ISBN, page 53:Maybe I am a wishing well, / I have regular well-wishers / Throwing me a coin. / Only change they throw me / Because they don't expect to see / Any change back.
References