well-wisher

well-wisher

See also: wellwisher

English

WOTD – 23 December 2022

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛlˌwɪʃə/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛlˌwɪʃɚ/
• Hyphenation: well-wish‧er

Etymology 1

From well (“in a desirable manner; so as one could wish”, adverb) +‎ wisher.[1]

Noun

well-wisher (plural well-wishers)

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

   Synonyms: good willer, (archaic) well-willer

   Antonyms: (archaic) evil willer, (obsolete) ill-willer

   • 1711 May 6 (Gregorian calendar)​, Richard Steele, “WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 48; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697, pages 308–309:

     [T]hose honest gentlemen that are always exposed to the wit and raillery of their well-wishers and companions; that are pelted by men, women, and children, friends and foes, and in a word, stand as butts in conversation, for every one to shoot at that pleases.

   • 1716 January 20 (Gregorian calendar)​, Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 6. Monday, January 9. [1716.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, OCLC 1056445272, page 380:

     [T]he actual traytor or rebel is guilty of perjury in the eye of the lavv; the ſecret promoter, or vvell-vviſher of the cauſe, is ſo before the Tribunal of conſcience.

   • 1761, Titus Livius [i.e., Livy], chapter L, in [anonymous], transl., Titus Livius’s Roman History from the Building of the City. […], volume VII, Edinburgh: […] A[lexander] Donaldson and J[ohn] Reid, for Alexander Donaldson, OCLC 316362054, book XXXIII, page 235:

     Nor did he ſeem to have made an unreaſonable reply to them both, and it vvas eaſy for a ſpeech to be received favorably amongſt vvellvviſhers.

   • 1770, “Letter XIV. Miss Lavinia Rawlins, to Mrs. Gertrude Coningsby.”, in The History of Lavinia Rawlins. […], volume I, 2nd edition, London: […] [F]or the editor; and sold by F. Noble, […]; and J. Noble, […], page 111:

     [G]ive me the hopes of my dear girl's approaching felicity, equal to the deſires of / Her ſincereſt VVellvviſher, / LAVINIA RAWLINS.

   • 1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], “An Old-World Landlady”, in St Ronan’s Well. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., OCLC 79179534, pages 21–22:

     She had still, however, her friends and well-wishers, many of whom thought, that as she was a lone woman, and known to be well to pass in the world, she would act wisely to retire from public life, and take down a sign which had no longer fascination for guests.

   • 1827, [Thomas Hamilton], chapter III, in The Youth and Manhood of Cyril Thornton. […], volume II, Edinburgh: William Blackwood; London: T[homas] Cadell, OCLC 230663119, page 70:

     "You see before you," she said, with choking utterance, "one who, fallen and degraded as she is, would still venture to hope that she has a friend, at least a wellwisher, in Mr Thornton. If I am mistaken in this, alas! I am friendless."

   • 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Levitical”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], OCLC 84390265, page 15:

     "[…] [I]t would be a nice opportunity for any of his well-wishers to pay him a visit, if they knew how straight the path was made before them." / "I am none of his well-wishers, sir: I don't care for him."

   • 1962 August, “Society Column: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, ISSN 0026-8356, OCLC 884584817, unnumbered page:

     Already a J72 0-6-0T has been promised by a well-wisher and will be re-painted in North Eastern Railway livery.

   • 1997, Ken Keeler, “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)”, in The Simpsons, season 8, episode 9, spoken by Moe Szyslak (Hank Azaria):

     I'm a well-wisher, in that I don't wish you any specific harm.

   • 2020 January 15, Nigel Harris, “HST’s East Coast Farewell Tour”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, ISSN 0953-4563, OCLC 999467860, page 34:

     At each stopping place I stepped out of the train to chat to well-wishers.

2. (obsolete, rare) Followed by to: someone who has an ambition to be or become something.
   • 1711 March 18 (Gregorian calendar)​, Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter XVII.”, in Thomas Sheridan and John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], volume XIV, new edition, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, OCLC 1184656746, page 372:

     I never saw your chancellor, nor his chaplain. The latter has a good deal of learning, and is a well wisher to be an author: your chancellor is an excellent man.

Derived terms

• well-wish

Related terms

• well-wished (adjective)
• well-wishing (adjective, noun)

Translations

someone who extends good wishes to someone else

Belarusian: добразычлі́вец m (dobrazyčlívjec), добразычлі́ўка f (dobrazyčlíŭka), зычлі́вец m (zyčlívjec), зычлі́ўка f (zyčlíŭka) Bulgarian: доброжела́тел (bg) m (dobroželátel) Chinese: Mandarin: 祝福者 (zhùfúzhě) Finnish: onnentoivottaja (fi), onnittelija (fi) German: Wohlwünscher m, Wohlwünscherin f Hindi: शुभेच्छु m (śubhecchu) Icelandic: velunnari m Irish: lucht dea-mhéine m (literally “well-wishers”) Kazakh: батагөй (batagöi) Latin: benevolus m Latvian: labvēlis m Macedonian: доброна́мерник m (dobronámernik) Magahi: 𑂎𑂩𑂎𑂰𑂯 (kharkhāh) Polish: sympatyk (pl) m Romanian: voitor de bine (ro) m Russian: доброжела́тель (ru) m (dobroželátelʹ), доброжела́тельница (ru) f (dobroželátelʹnica) Tamil: வேண்டியவன் (ta) (vēṇṭiyavaṉ) Telugu: శ్రేయోభిలాషి (śrēyōbhilāṣi) Ukrainian: добрози́чливець m (dobrozýčlyvecʹ), доброзичли́вець m (dobrozyčlývecʹ), добрози́чливиця f (dobrozýčlyvycja), доброзичли́виця f (dobrozyčlývycja), зи́чливець m (zýčlyvecʹ), зичли́вець m (zyčlývecʹ), зи́чливиця f (zýčlyvycja), зичли́виця f (zyčlývycja) Urdu: خیر خواہ‎‎ ? (xair-xvāh, xair-xāh)

someone who expresses sympathy to someone else

Bulgarian: доброжела́тел (bg) m (dobroželátel) Finnish: osanottaja (fi) Macedonian: доброна́мерник m (dobronámernik)

See also

• Thesaurus:acquaintance
• benevolent
• Godspeed

Etymology 2

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

Noun

well-wisher (plural well-wishers)

1. (nonce word, rare) Someone who makes a wish at a wishing well.
   • 2008, Alan Pinkett, chapter 12, in Utta Drivel Too, [S.l.: Lulu.com], published 2015, →ISBN, page 45:

     They strolled on and passed a smiling man standing by the Village wishing well. "Well," said the well-wisher. Ah … must be the Village idiot.

   • 2014, Nancy Atherton, chapter 7, in Aunt Dimity & the Wishing Well (Aunt Dimity series; 19), London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 67:

     "I'll put a removable lid on it [a wishing well]," he assured her. "That way, it'll be safe for the nippers, but accessible to, um, well wishers. Have a wish in mind, Bree?"

   • 2019, A. A. A. Aardvark [pseudonym; Matthew Holmes], Quit before You’re Fired, and Other Visions through Inertia, [Riverwood, N.S.W.: Matthew Holmes], →ISBN, page 53:

     Maybe I am a wishing well, / I have regular well-wishers / Throwing me a coin. / Only change they throw me / Because they don't expect to see / Any change back.

References

1. “well-wisher, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2022; “well-wisher, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.