Standard Lemma guide

well-wisher

noun · 4 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɛlˌwɪʃə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈwɛlˌwɪʃɚ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who extends good wishes, or expresses sympathy, to someone else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: good willer, well-willer

Antonyms: evil willer, ill-willer

2

noun

Meaning 2

Followed by to: someone who has an ambition to be or become something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who makes a wish at a wishing well.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: nonce-word, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

someone who shares your feelings or opinions and hopes that you will be successful

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sympathizer, sympathiser

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supporter, protagonist, champion, admirer, booster, friend

Narrower terms: bleeding heart, fellow traveler, fellow traveller

History

Etymology

From well (“in a desirable manner; so as one could wish”, adverb) + wisher.

From well (“hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, etc.”) + wisher.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: добразычлі́вец (dobrazyčlívjec) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Belarusian: добразычлі́ўка (dobrazyčlíwka) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Belarusian: зычлі́вец (zyčlívjec) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Belarusian: зычлі́ўка (zyčlíwka) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Bengali: খয়ের খাঁ (khoẏer khã) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Bulgarian: доброжела́тел (dobroželátel) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Chinese Mandarin: 祝福者 (zhùfúzhě) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Finnish: onnentoivottaja — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Finnish: onnittelija — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • German: Wohlwünscher — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • German: Wohlwünscherin — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Gujarati: હિતેચ્છુ (hitecchu) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Hindi: शुभेच्छु (śubhecchu) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Hindi: शुभचिंतक (śubhcintak) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Hindi: हितार्थी (hitārthī) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Hindi: हितार्थ (hitārth) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Hindi: हितचिंतक (hitcintak) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Icelandic: velunnari — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Irish: lucht dea-mhéine — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Kazakh: батагөй (batagöi) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Latin: benevolus — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Latvian: labvēlis — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Macedonian: доброна́мерник (dobronámernik) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Magahi: 𑂎𑂩𑂎𑂰𑂯 (kharkhāh) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Polish: sympatyk — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Polish: sympatyczka — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Romanian: voitor de bine — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Russian: доброжела́тель (dobroželátelʹ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Russian: доброжела́тельница (dobroželátelʹnica) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Tamil: வேண்டியவன் (vēṇṭiyavaṉ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Telugu: శ్రేయోభిలాషి (śrēyōbhilāṣi) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: добрози́чливець (dobrozýčlyvecʹ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: доброзичли́вець (dobrozyčlývecʹ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: добрози́чливиця (dobrozýčlyvycja) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: доброзичли́виця (dobrozyčlývycja) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: зи́чливець (zýčlyvecʹ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: зичли́вець (zyčlývecʹ) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: зи́чливиця (zýčlyvycja) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Ukrainian: зичли́виця (zyčlývycja) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Urdu: خیر خواہ (xair-xvāh, xair-xāh) — someone who extends good wishes to someone else
  • Bulgarian: доброжела́тел (dobroželátel) — someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
  • Finnish: osanottaja — someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
  • Macedonian: доброна́мерник (dobronámernik) — someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
  • Polish: sympatyk — someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
  • Polish: sympatyczka — someone who expresses sympathy to someone else
Real reading context

well-wisher in complete knowledge articles