Phrase guide

welfare state

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility, providing health care, education, unemployment benefits and social security.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A country in which such a system operates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment compensation etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: state

History

Etymology

Compound of welfare + state.

Across languages

Translations

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: welvaartstaat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Azerbaijani: rifah dövləti — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Azerbaijani: sosial rifah dövləti — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Azerbaijani: sosial dövlət — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Bengali: কল্যাণ রাষ্ট্র (kollan raśṭro) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Catalan: estat del benestar — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Chinese Mandarin: 福利國家 /福利国家 (fúlì guójiā) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Czech: sociální stát — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Danish: velfærdssamfund — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Danish: velfærdsstat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Dutch: verzorgingsstaat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Dutch: welvaartsstaat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Finnish: hyvinvointivaltio — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • French: État-providence — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • West-Frisian: fersoargingssteat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • German: Wohlfahrtsstaat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Greek: κράτος πρόνοιας (krátos prónoias) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Hungarian: jóléti állam — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Indonesian: negara kesejahteraan — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Italian: Stato sociale — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Italian: Stato assistenziale — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Japanese: 福祉国家 (fukushi kokka) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Korean: 복지국가 (bokjigukga) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Macedonian: соција́лна др́жава (socijálna dŕžava) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Malay: negara kebajikan — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Malayalam: ക്ഷേമരാഷ്ട്രം (kṣēmarāṣṭraṁ) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Māori: whenua tokoora — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Norwegian Bokmål: velferdsstat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: velferdsstat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Persian: دولت رفاه — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Polish: państwo opiekuńcze — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Portuguese: estado de bem-estar — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Portuguese: estado de bem-estar social — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Portuguese: estado assistencial — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Russian: социа́льное госуда́рство (sociálʹnoje gosudárstvo) — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Spanish: estado de bienestar — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Spanish: estado del bienestar — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Spanish: estado benefactor — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Swedish: välfärdsstat — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Swedish: folkhem — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Vietnamese: nhà nước phúc lợi — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Welsh: gwladwriaeth les — national level social system of a sovereign country operated by its central government for the citizens' welfare overall responsibility
  • Afrikaans: welvaartstaat — country in which such a system operates
  • Azerbaijani: rifah dövləti — country in which such a system operates
  • Bengali: কল্যাণ রাষ্ট্র (kollan raśṭro) — country in which such a system operates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 福利國家 /福利国家 (fúlì guójiā) — country in which such a system operates
  • Czech: sociální stát — country in which such a system operates
  • Danish: velfærdsstat — country in which such a system operates
  • Dutch: verzorgingsstaat — country in which such a system operates
  • Dutch: welvaartsstaat — country in which such a system operates
  • Finnish: hyvinvointivaltio — country in which such a system operates
  • French: État-providence — country in which such a system operates
  • West-Frisian: fersoargingssteat — country in which such a system operates
  • German: Wohlfahrtsstaat — country in which such a system operates
  • Hungarian: jóléti állam — country in which such a system operates
  • Indonesian: negara kesejahteraan — country in which such a system operates
  • Japanese: 福祉国家 (fukushi kokka) — country in which such a system operates
  • Korean: 복지국가 (bokjigukga) — country in which such a system operates
  • Macedonian: соција́лна др́жава (socijálna dŕžava) — country in which such a system operates
  • Malay: negara kebajikan — country in which such a system operates
  • Malayalam: ക്ഷേമരാഷ്ട്രം (kṣēmarāṣṭraṁ) — country in which such a system operates
  • Norwegian: velferdsstat — country in which such a system operates
  • Persian: دولت رفاه — country in which such a system operates
  • Polish: państwo opiekuńcze — country in which such a system operates
  • Portuguese: estado de bem-estar — country in which such a system operates
  • Portuguese: estado de bem-estar social — country in which such a system operates
  • Portuguese: estado assistencial — country in which such a system operates
  • Russian: социа́льное госуда́рство (sociálʹnoje gosudárstvo) — country in which such a system operates
  • Spanish: estado del bienestar — country in which such a system operates
  • Spanish: estado benefactor — country in which such a system operates
  • Swedish: välfärdsstat — country in which such a system operates
  • Vietnamese: nhà nước phúc lợi — country in which such a system operates
  • Welsh: gwladwriaeth les — country in which such a system operates