well-wishes

Meaning

1. 1nounplural

   Kind messages or words that show you hope another person will be happy, healthy or successful.

   Grammar: Almost always plural: send your well-wishes, not a well-wish.

   Patterns

   • send well-wishes to someone
   • well-wishes for something

   Thank you for all your well-wishes during my recovery.

   The class sent their well-wishes to the teacher on maternity leave.

   Cards and well-wishes poured in after the announcement.

Common combinations

send well-wishes

Please send our well-wishes to your parents.

extend well-wishes

The mayor extended her well-wishes to the new couple.

receive well-wishes

He received well-wishes from fans around the world.

warm well-wishes

We offer warm well-wishes on your retirement.

messages of well-wishes

The hospital wall was covered in messages of well-wishes.

Synonyms and how they differ

good wishes

Good wishes is the older and more common phrase, while well-wishes sounds slightly more modern and is often used in news writing.

regards

Regards is a polite closing in letters, while well-wishes expresses hope for someone's future.

blessings

Blessings carries a religious or deeply sincere tone, while well-wishes is more general.

congratulations

Congratulations responds to something that has already happened, whereas well-wishes can look ahead.

Opposites

Word family

well-wisher noun

A person who offers good wishes.

wish verb

To hope for something.

wish noun

A hope or desire.

well adverb

In a good way.

Commonly confused: well-wishes or wishes?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “well-wishes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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