bienestar
nounCEFR B2
What does “bienestar” mean in English?
wellbeing, welfare
wellbeing, welfare (the overall health, happiness, and quality of life of a person or group; also the welfare state)
Example sentences
El bienestar de los ciudadanos no puede medirse únicamente en PIB; indicadores como la salud, la educación y la cohesión social son igualmente relevantes.
Citizens' wellbeing cannot be measured solely in GDP; indicators such as health, education, and social cohesion are equally relevant.
El estado del bienestar es el resultado de décadas de negociación entre el capital y el trabajo, y su erosión no es un proceso neutral.
The welfare state is the result of decades of negotiation between capital and labour, and its erosion is not a neutral process.
How to use it
El bienestar means 'wellbeing' or 'welfare' — the state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy, measured across physical, psychological, social, and economic dimensions. It is a high-frequency abstract noun at B2, used in health policy, social science, economics, and personal development contexts. Key collocations: el bienestar social, el bienestar económico, el estado del bienestar (the welfare state), políticas de bienestar, mejorar/garantizar el bienestar. Important distinction: bienestar (wellbeing — a positive state to be cultivated) vs welfare (in the English institutional sense of benefit payments) — use prestaciones sociales for the payments themselves.
Common mistake
El bienestar is 'wellbeing' as a state, not 'welfare benefits' (prestaciones, subsidios). 'Welfare state' = 'estado del bienestar' (always el estado del bienestar, with the definite article). Don't use bienestar to mean unemployment benefits — that is prestación por desempleo.