Something that is good is pleasant, acceptable, or satisfactory. The comparative form of good is better. The superlative form is best.
Good is never an adverb. If you want to say that something is done to a high standard or to a great extent, you use well, not 'good'.
The comparative form of well is better. The superlative form is best.
In conversation, people sometimes say well when they are about to make a statement. Well can show that someone is hesitating or uncertain, but sometimes it has no meaning at all.
In conversation, people also use well when they are correcting something they have just said.
Well is very commonly an adverb.
You use well to say that something is done to a high standard or to a great extent.
You use well to emphasize some -ed participles when they are part of a passive construction.
When well is used with an -ed participle like this to make a compound adjective that comes before a noun, the compound usually has a hyphen.
When the compound adjective comes after a verb, don't use a hyphen.
You also use well in front of some prepositions such as ahead of and behind.
When well is an adverb, its comparative and superlative forms are better and best.
Well is also an adjective. If you are well, you are healthy and not ill.
Most British speakers do not use well in front of a noun. They don't say, for example, 'He's a well man'. They say 'He's well'. However, American and Scottish speakers sometimes use well in front of a noun.
When well is an adjective, it does not have a comparative form. However, you can use better to say that the health of a sick person has improved. When better is used like this, it means 'less ill'.
Better is more commonly used to say that someone has completely recovered from an illness or injury.
You use as well when you are giving more information about something.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() artesian well - a well drilled through impermeable strata into strata that receive water from a higher altitude so there is pressure to force the water to flow upward driven well, tube well - a well made by driving a tube into the earth to a stratum that bears water excavation - a hole in the ground made by excavating gas well - a well that yields or has yielded natural gas sump - a well or other hole in which water has collected |
2. | ![]() vessel - an object used as a container (especially for liquids) | |
3. | well - an abundant source; "she was a well of information" source - a document (or organization) from which information is obtained; "the reporter had two sources for the story" | |
4. | well - an open shaft through the floors of a building (as for a stairway) shaft - a vertical passageway through a building (as for an elevator) stairwell - a vertical well around which there is a stairway | |
5. | well - an enclosed compartment in a ship or plane for holding something as e.g. fish or a plane's landing gear or for protecting something as e.g. a ship's pumps bilge well - (nautical) a well where seepage drains to be pumped away compartment - a partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed area pump well - an enclosure in the middle of a ship's hold that protects the ship's pumps | |
Verb | 1. | ![]() |
Adj. | 1. | well - in good health especially after having suffered illness or injury; "appears to be entirely well"; "the wound is nearly well"; "a well man"; "I think I'm well; at least I feel well" fit - physically and mentally sound or healthy; "felt relaxed and fit after their holiday"; "keeps fit with diet and exercise" healthy - having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease; "a rosy healthy baby"; "staying fit and healthy" |
2. | well - resulting favorably; "it's a good thing that I wasn't there"; "it is good that you stayed"; "it is well that no one saw you"; "all's well that ends well" fortunate - having unexpected good fortune; "other, less fortunate, children died"; "a fortunate choice" | |
3. | well - wise or advantageous and hence advisable; "it would be well to start early" advisable - worthy of being recommended or suggested; prudent or wise; "such action is neither necessary nor advisable"; "extreme caution is advisable"; "it is advisable to telephone first" | |
Adv. | 1. | well - (often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (`good' is a nonstandard dialectal variant for `well'); "the children behaved well"; "a task well done"; "the party went well"; "he slept well"; "a well-argued thesis"; "a well-seasoned dish"; "a well-planned party"; "the baby can walk pretty good" combining form - a bound form used only in compounds; "`hemato-' is a combining form in words like `hematology'" ill, poorly, badly - (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well; "he was ill prepared"; "it ill befits a man to betray old friends"; "the car runs badly"; "he performed badly on the exam"; "the team played poorly"; "ill-fitting clothes"; "an ill-conceived plan" |
2. | well - thoroughly or completely; fully; often used as a combining form; "The problem is well understood"; "she was well informed"; "shake well before using"; "in order to avoid food poisoning be sure the meat is well cooked"; "well-done beef", "well-satisfied customers"; "well-educated" | |
3. | well - indicating high probability; in all likelihood; "I might well do it"; "a mistake that could easily have ended in disaster"; "you may well need your umbrella"; "he could equally well be trying to deceive us" | |
4. | well - (used for emphasis or as an intensifier) entirely or fully; "a book well worth reading"; "was well aware of the difficulties ahead"; "suspected only too well what might be going on" intensifier, intensive - a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies; "`up' in `finished up' is an intensifier"; "`honestly' in `I honestly don't know' is an intensifier" | |
5. | well - to a suitable or appropriate extent or degree; "the project was well underway"; "the fetus has well developed organs"; "his father was well pleased with his grades" | |
6. | well - favorably; with approval; "their neighbors spoke well of them"; "he thought well of the book" | |
7. | well - to a great extent or degree; "I'm afraid the film was well over budget"; "painting the room white made it seem considerably (or substantially) larger"; "the house has fallen considerably in value"; "the price went up substantially" | |
8. | well - with great or especially intimate knowledge; "we knew them well" | |
9. | well - with prudence or propriety; "You would do well to say nothing more"; "could not well refuse" | |
10. | well - with skill or in a pleasing manner; "she dances well"; "he writes well" badly - without skill or in a displeasing manner; "she writes badly"; "I think he paints very badly" | |
11. | ![]() disadvantageously, badly - in a disadvantageous way; to someone's disadvantage; "the venture turned out badly for the investors"; "angry that the case was settled disadvantageously for them" | |
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13. | well - without unusual distress or resentment; with good humor; "took the joke well"; "took the tragic news well" badly - with unusual distress or resentment or regret or emotional display; "they took their defeat badly"; "took her father's death badly"; "conducted himself very badly at the time of the earthquake" |