welfare state

noun

1
: a social system based on the assumption by a political state of primary responsibility for the individual and social welfare of its citizens
2
: a nation or state characterized by the operation of the welfare state system

Examples of welfare state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Reaganite values that most endure are the reactionary ones: his hostility toward civil rights, feminism, and the welfare state. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024 Sweden, with a long history of liberal immigration policies and a huge welfare state, proudly agreed to take in more than 160,000 refugees in 2015. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024 Inflation in the 1970s and early 1980s brought to an end the expansion of the welfare state that took place from the New Deal in the 1930s to the Great Society in the 1960s. W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024 The New Deal launched programs such as the Social Security Act that millions of Americans rely on today, and the Food Stamp Plan, created in 1939, which served as the genesis of the modern welfare state. Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for welfare state 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'welfare state.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of welfare state was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near welfare state

Cite this Entry

“Welfare state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/welfare%20state. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

welfare state

noun
: a social system in which the government takes on much of the responsibility for the individual and group welfare of its people

More from Merriam-Webster on welfare state

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