fare-thee-well

Old-fashioned parting words

Fare-thee-well is an archaic or deliberately old-fashioned way of saying goodbye, from the phrase "may it fare well with thee." The expression survives mainly in to a fare-thee-well, meaning to the greatest possible degree or to perfection: She had the part rehearsed to a fare-thee-well.

farewell

adieu

Formal leave-taking

valedictionFormal parting statement
leave-takingAct of saying goodbye
partingAct of leaving another

departure · send-off · godspeed · bon voyage · separation · goodbye · so long · final words · last goodbye · waving goodbye

affectionate

fondness

Warm liking or affection

warmthHeat you feel
tendernessGentle, caring quality
devotionDeep, loyal commitment

endearment · heartfelt · cherish · beloved · dear · caring · embrace · kindness · blessings · good wishes

literary

elizabethan

Of the Virgin Queen's reign

poeticOf or like verse
sonnetFourteen-line metered poem
elegyPoem lamenting the departed

lament · ode · threnody · requiem · epistolary · romantic · lyrical · dramatic · theatrical · verse

archaic

antiquated

Old and outdated

old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
quaintAttractively unfamiliar, outdated
bygoneOf earlier times

dated · nostalgic · vintage · toodle-oo · cheerio · victorian · formal · courtly · genteel · mannered

Opposites

greeting vs. parting

fare-thee-wellhello

Common spoken greeting

greeting · welcome · salutation · hail · howdy

DEGREE/THOROUGHNESS (idiomatic sense)

fare-thee-wellhalfway

At the midpoint

incompletely · partially · sloppily · haphazardly · carelessly

Family

fare, thee, well, fares, fared, faring, wayfarer, wayfarers, welfare

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G