well-wisher

noun

well-wish·​er ˈwel-ˌwi-shər How to pronounce well-wisher (audio)
-ˈwi-
Synonyms of well-wishernext
: one who wishes well to another : an admiring supporter or fan
well-wishing
ˈwel-ˌwi-shiŋ How to pronounce well-wisher (audio)
-ˈwi-
adjective or noun

Examples of well-wisher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dad’s well-wishers were no longer wishing us well. — Griffin Dunne, Vulture, 19 June 2026 Hosting a group of well-wishers? — Hannah Lee Leidy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 May 2026 His phone rang with calls from well-wishers asking about the search, and about his daughter Malak. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 The room erupted with cheers among Green Dot well-wishers who had packed the room by the dozens. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for well-wisher

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of well-wisher was circa 1576

Rhymes for well-wisher

See All Rhymes for well-wisher

Browse Nearby Words

well-wish
well-wisher
well-wishing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Well-wisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-wisher. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

well-wisher

noun
well-wish·​er
ˈwel-ˌwish-ər, 
-ˈwish-
: a person who wishes good fortune to another

More from Merriam-Webster on well-wisher

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for well-wisher

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All