Welfare
Definition
Welfare pertains to the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group. It can also refer to statutory procedures or social efforts designed to promote the well-being of individuals in need, often involving financial assistance.
Parts of Speech
- Noun
Pronunciation
American English
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈwɛlˌfɛər/
- Respelling: WEL-fair
British English
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈwɛlˌfɛə/
- Respelling: WEL-fair
In both American and British English, "welfare" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable. The word begins with "wel," followed by "fair," which is pronounced with a short "e" sound as in "bed" and ending with a long "air" sound. The pronunciation is essentially the same in both versions of English, though there may be slight variations in vowel quality and length due to different accents.
Etymology
"Welfare" originates from the Middle English term "welfare", which is a combination of "wele", meaning "well-being", and "fare", meaning "to fare" or "condition". Thus, it signifies "the state of doing well".
Derivatives
- Welfare state
- Welfare system
- Welfare rights
- Welfare-to-work
- Welfare reform
Synonyms
- Well-being
- Health
- Prosperity
Antonyms
- Illness
- Hardship
- Adversity
Usage
"Welfare" can denote the overall well-being of individuals or groups. In sociopolitical contexts, especially in certain countries, it commonly refers to assistance programs provided by the state to support those in financial need.
Related Terms
- Social security
- Benefits
- Assistance
- Aid
- Support
Detailed Definition
Noun
- The health, happiness, and prosperity of an individual or group.
- Example: The school prioritizes the welfare of its students.
- Financial assistance or support given to individuals in need, especially as provided by the state or a social organization.
- Example: She had to rely on welfare for a few months after losing her job.
- The proper treatment of animals under one's care.
- Example: Animal welfare organizations ensure that pets are treated humanely.
welfare
🇨🇳 Mandarin (Simplified Chinese)
- 福利 (fúlì) [General well-being / benefits]
- IPA: /fu˧˥ li˨˩˦/
- Respelling: foo-lee
🇮🇳 Hindi
- कल्याण (kalyāṇ) [General well-being]
- IPA: /kəl.jaːɳ/
- Respelling: kuhl-YAHN
- भत्ता (bhattā) [Benefits or allowance]
- IPA: /bʱət̪.t̪aː/
- Respelling: bhat-taa
🇪🇸 Spanish
- Bienestar [General well-being]
- IPA: /bjen.esˈtaɾ/
- Respelling: byen-es-TAR
- Asistencia social [Social assistance]
- IPA: /asɪs'tensja soˈθjal/
- Respelling: ah-sees-TEN-sya so-THEE-yal
🇫🇷 French
- Bien-être [General well-being]
- IPA: /bjɛ̃.ɛtʁ/
- Respelling: byan-ETR
- Aide sociale [Social assistance]
- IPA: /ɛd sɔ.sjal/
- Respelling: ed soh-SYAL
🇦🇪 Modern Standard Arabic
- الرفاهية (al-rifāḥīyah) [General well-being]
- IPA: /ar.ri.faː.ˈħiː.ja/
- Respelling: al-ri-fa-HEE-yah
- الرعاية الاجتماعية (al-ra'āyah al-ijtimā'īyah) [Social care]
- IPA: /ar.raː.ˈʔaː.jah al.ɪd͡ʒ.tiː.maːˈʕiː.jah/
- Respelling: al-RAA-yah al-ij-tee-MAA-ee-yah
🇧🇩 Bengali
- কল্যাণ (kalyāṇ) [General well-being]
- IPA: /kɔljaːn/
- Respelling: kol-YAHN
- সামাজিক সহায়কারী (sāmājik sahāykarī) [Social assistance]
- IPA: /ʃamad͡ʒik ʃɔhazkari/
- Respelling: sha-ma-jik sho-haz-KA-ree
🇷🇺 Russian
- Благосостояние (Blagosostoyanie) [General well-being]
- IPA: /bləɡəsəsˈtojənʲɪjə/
- Respelling: blah-guh-suh-STOY-an-ee-ye
- Социальная помощь (Sotsial'naya pomoshch) [Social assistance]
- IPA: /sət͡sɨjˈaljnəjə ˈpoməɕt͡ɕ/
- Respelling: so-tsi-AL-nyay-uh po-MOSHCH
🇵🇹 Portuguese
- Bem-estar [General well-being]
- IPA: /bẽj.isˈtaɾ/
- Respelling: beng-ees-TAR
- Assistência social [Social assistance]
- IPA: /ɐsɨsˈtẽsjɐ soˈsjal/
- Respelling: ah-sees-TEN-sya soh-SYAL
🇮🇩 Indonesian
- Kesejahteraan [General well-being]
- IPA: /kəsəd͡ʒaht̪əraʔan/
- Respelling: keh-seh-jah-teh-raan
- Bantuan sosial [Social assistance]
- IPA: /bantuan sosial/
- Respelling: bahn-TWAN so-SEE-al
🇩🇪 German
- Wohlbefinden [General well-being]
- IPA: /voːl.bəˈfɪndən/
- Respelling: vohl-be-FIN-den
- Sozialhilfe [Social assistance]
- IPA: /zoː.t͡sjaːlˈhɪlfə/
- Respelling: zoh-tsi-AHL-hil-fuh
🇯🇵 Japanese
- 幸福感 (kōfukukan) [General well-being]
- IPA: /koː.fu.ku.kan/
- Respelling: koh-foo-koo-kahn
- 社会福祉 (shakai fukushi) [Social welfare]
- IPA: /ʃa.kai fu.ku.ɕi/
- Respelling: SHA-kai foo-KOO-shee
🇻🇳 Vietnamese
- Phúc lợi [General well-being / benefits]
- IPA: /fuk˧˧ ləj˧˧/
- Respelling: fook ley
🇰🇷 Korean
- 복지 (bokji) [General well-being / benefits]
- IPA: /bok̚.t͡ɕi/
- Respelling: bok-jee
🇹🇷 Turkish
- Refah [General well-being]
- IPA: /ɾeˈfah/
- Respelling: re-FAH
- Sosyal yardım [Social assistance]
- IPA: /soˈsjal jaɾˈdɯm/
- Respelling: so-SYAL yar-DUHM
🇵🇰 Urdu
- فلاح (falaah) [General well-being]
- IPA: /fə.laːh/
- Respelling: fuh-LAAH
- سماجی مدد (samājī madad) [Social assistance]
- IPA: /səˈmaː.d͡ʒiː məˈd̪əd̪/
- Respelling: sa-MAA-jee muh-DAD
