welfare

Government aid programs

Welfare is well-being or good fortune: concern for the welfare of children.

More specifically, welfare refers to government programs providing financial assistance to people in need—food stamps, housing subsidies, cash payments.

She's on welfare means receiving such aid.

The word carries political charge; conservatives often use it pejoratively to suggest dependency, while others emphasize it as a safety net.

government

benefits

Gains or helpful effects

disability · housing · vouchers · SNAP · WIC · TANF · recipients · eligibility · means-tested · safety net

charity

philanthropy

Generous giving for others

NGO · nonprofit · volunteerism · almsgiving · benevolence · fundraising · outreach · aid organizations · community support · mutual aid

wellbeing

health

Condition of body, mind

thriving · contentment · quality of life · comfort · security · holistic · mental health · physical health · life satisfaction · standard of living

animal

sanctuary

Protected sacred space

ASPCA · humane society · adoption · rehabilitation · conservation · captivity · veterinary care · neglect · abuse · protection

state

social democracy

Reformed capitalism with welfare state

public services · redistribution · taxation · social insurance · cradle-to-grave · New Deal · Great Society · austerity · privatization · socialism

Categories
Opposites
well-being/condition

welfaremisery

Intense prolonged distress

suffering · wretchedness · ill-being · distress · hardship

fortune/circumstances

welfaremisfortune

Adverse circumstance or event

adversity · calamity · disaster · bad luck · reverses

social policy orientation

welfareausterity

Enforced economic stringency

self-reliance · laissez-faire · antiwelfare · workfare · privatization

Phrases
Family

welfare trap, welfare state

Familiarity
Top 20,000
Profile
Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G