From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwell-meaningˌwell-ˈmeaning adjective INTENDintending to be helpful, but not succeeding A lot of problems can be caused by well-meaning friends. He’s very well-meaning, but he doesn’t really understand what’s going on.
Examples from the Corpus
well-meaning• It was fun being whisked to Plymouth, though she hadn't much in common with this well-meaning but heavy family.• And what would be the fate of these creatures once they were sold to well-meaning but probably ignorant people?• It was a well-meaning effort to help the poor.• This well-meaning law will have little effect on the type of owner at whom it is primarily aimed.• Alas, even the most well-meaning opera buffs have an unfortunate habit of making their favorite indoor sport sound impossibly complicated.• Even well-meaning parents cannot protect their children from everything.• In convulsed countries around the world, too much food donated by well-meaning people feeds murderous gunmen instead of needy families.• There are a lot of well-meaning people in this who worship Ross Perot.• Well-meaning relatives gave me all kinds of advice.• In her well-meaning way, she always put the best face on everything, whether it was true or not.• Yet the whole magazine is like this, an expensive, well-meaning, worthless blast of hot air. 