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Well-Done Meaning, Usage, and Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：fully cooked (Well-done)

Well-done 🔊

/ˌwɛlˈdʌn/

adj.

Used to describe meat, especially steak, that is cooked all the way through until it is no longer pink inside, making it firm and brown.

fully cooked 🔊

➕

/ˈfʊli kʊkt/

adj.

Describes meat, especially steak, that has been cooked thoroughly until no pink remains and the interior is firm and brown.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Compound: 'well' + 'done'; means thoroughly cooked or excellently performed.

💡 Mnemonic

Remember: well (thoroughly) + done (finished) -> steak or praise. Teacher's 'Well done!' = great job.

📖 Example

I always order my steak well-done because I don't like seeing any pink in the middle. 🔊 I always order my steak well-done because I don't like seeing any pink in the middle.

🔗 Collocations

well-done steak – a steak cooked thoroughly with no pink inside

cook it well-done – to cook meat until it is fully done and brown

🔄 Synonyms

thoroughly cooked (adj.) – cooked completely through, not raw or undercooked

overcooked (adj.) – cooked too much, resulting in a dry texture (often used negatively)

🚫 Antonyms

rare (adj.) – meat cooked very lightly, with a red center

medium-rare (adj.) – meat cooked with a warm red center

🌱 Derivatives

doneness (n.) – the degree to which meat is cooked

overdone (adj.) – cooked too much; also used figuratively for exaggerated effort

📖 Cultural Story

For steak, 'well-done' emerged in 19th-century restaurants as the darkest doneness grade. As praise, 'Well done!' dates back to Old English, used in schools and workplaces to commend achievement.

Meaning 2：excellent job (Well-done)

Well-done 🔊

/ˌwɛlˈdʌn/

adj.

Used to praise someone for doing an excellent job or successfully completing a task.

excellent job 🔊

➕

/ˈɛksələnt dʒɒb/

adj.

An expression of praise used to congratulate someone for completing a task successfully or performing exceptionally well.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The teacher wrote ‘Well-done!’ at the top of my essay, which made me feel very proud. 🔊 The teacher wrote ‘Well-done!’ at the top of my essay, which made me feel very proud.

🔗 Collocations

say 'Well done!' – to express praise for someone's accomplishment

a well-done job – a task performed excellently, worthy of praise

🔄 Synonyms

congratulations (interj.) – an expression of joy and praise for someone's success

good job (interj.) – a common phrase of approval for a task well completed

🚫 Antonyms

poor job (n.) – work that is of low quality or not satisfactory