# Weller

/ˈwɛɫɝ/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/weller
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

a very old-fashioned way to say 'better'. You might see this in old books or poems, but people do not use it in modern conversation.

For teachers: an archaic or dialectal comparative form of 'well'. Used in modern English only as a deliberate archaism or within specific regional dialects.

## Examples

- He hoped the patient would soon be weller.
- The old farmer remarked that his crops were looking weller than they had during the previous dry summer.
- While the author attempted to evoke a sense of nineteenth-century rural life by using terms like 'weller', the choice often struck modern critics as an unnecessary and distracting linguistic affectation.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I am feeling weller today." but "I am feeling better today." — 'Weller' is archaic; 'better' is the only correct comparative form of 'well' in modern standard English.

## Usage notes

- Comparative form of 'well'. In standard modern English, 'better' has entirely replaced this form.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.