well-loved

adjective

Loved by many people; popular.

Meanings

adjectivewell-loved (comparative better-loved or more well-loved, superlative best-loved or most well-loved)

comparative better-loved · comparative more well-loved · superlative best-loved · superlative most well-loved · alternative well loved

  1. Loved by many people; popular.

    Helped by the charm of their field and by WGN’s national broadcast reach, the Cubs have always been the better-loved of Chicago’s two teams.

    2014 April 24, Tom Giratikanon, Josh Katz, David Leonhardt, Kevin Quealy, “Up Close on Baseball’s Borders”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Apr 2014
    2 more examples

    Afterward, however, he turned to more serious roles, such as “Emperor Jones” and “Othello,” and ultimately became one of the better-loved figures of the German-speaking stage.

    1943 May 2, Theodore Strauss, “Oscar Homolka Studies the Menu: A Noted Austrian Actor Talks of Letters, Art, Light Wines and Duck”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

    Larkin's reputation at his death as the best-loved "serious" English poet of his generation rested almost entirely on three collections published after 1955: The Less Deceived, The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows.

    2008 July 22, “Philip Larkin”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Dec 2013
  2. euphemisticbusinessHighly used or having a worn condition; showing significant signs of wear and tear, age, or previous frequent use.

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

well-loved. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-loved

MLA

“well-loved.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-loved. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “well-loved,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-loved.

Source: well-loved on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.