Standard Lemma guide

well-behaved

adj · 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/
  • /wɛlbəˈheɪvd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The boy is well-behaved and is seldom naughty.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mannersome, seemly, well-mannered

Antonyms: ill-behaved

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having intuitive, easy to handle properties, especially: having a finite derivative of all orders at all points, and having no discontinuities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: degenerate, pathological

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(usually of children) someone who behaves in a manner that the speaker believes is correct

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a well-behaved child

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: well behaved

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From well + behaved.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 表現好的 /表现好的 (biǎoxiàn hǎo de) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 規矩 /规矩 (guījǔ) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 聽話 /听话 (tīnghuà) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 乖 (guāi) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Danish: velopdragen — having good manners and acting properly
  • Dutch: braaf — having good manners and acting properly
  • Dutch: goedgemanierd — having good manners and acting properly
  • Dutch: gemanierd — having good manners and acting properly
  • Dutch: welgemanierd — having good manners and acting properly
  • Finnish: hyvätapainen — having good manners and acting properly
  • Finnish: hyväkäytöksinen — having good manners and acting properly
  • Finnish: hyvin käyttäytyvä — having good manners and acting properly
  • French: bien élevé — having good manners and acting properly
  • Galician: guiado — having good manners and acting properly
  • German: wohlerzogen — having good manners and acting properly
  • German: artig — having good manners and acting properly
  • German: brav — having good manners and acting properly
  • Hindi: शिष्टाचारी (śiṣṭācārī) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Ingrian: vernoi — having good manners and acting properly
  • Irish: suáilceach — having good manners and acting properly
  • Irish: dea-bhéasach — having good manners and acting properly
  • Irish: béasach — having good manners and acting properly
  • Japanese: 行儀のいい (gyōgi no ii) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Latvian: rātns — having good manners and acting properly
  • Norwegian: veloppdragen — having good manners and acting properly
  • Plautdietsch: ontlich — having good manners and acting properly
  • Polish: dobrze wychowany — having good manners and acting properly
  • Portuguese: comportado — having good manners and acting properly
  • Romanian: manierat — having good manners and acting properly
  • Romanian: bine crescut — having good manners and acting properly
  • Romanian: cuminte — having good manners and acting properly
  • Russian: благонра́вный (blagonrávnyj) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Russian: воспи́танный (vospítannyj) — having good manners and acting properly
  • Spanish: bien comportado — having good manners and acting properly
  • Spanish: comportarse bien — having good manners and acting properly
  • Swedish: väluppfostrad — having good manners and acting properly
  • Turkish: uslu — having good manners and acting properly
  • Vietnamese: ngoan — having good manners and acting properly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 良態 /良态 — mathematics: having easy to handle properties
  • Dutch: braaf — mathematics: having easy to handle properties
  • Finnish: derivoituva — mathematics: having easy to handle properties
  • Finnish: hyvin käyttäytyvä — mathematics: having easy to handle properties
  • Polish: prosty — mathematics: having easy to handle properties