A quick look through the OED shows that well-meaning seemed to get its negative connotations pretty quickly.
Up until the mid 17th century we've got a bunch of examples where "well-meaning" seems completely approvable, a nice, virtuous thing:
1387-8 T. USK Test. Love II. v. 117 Right as see yeveth flood, so draweth see ebbe, and pulleth ayen under wawe al the firste out-throwe, but-if good pyles of noble governaunce in love, in wel-meninge maner, ben sadly grounded.
1555 EDEN Decades (Arb.) 124 And albeit that he were not lerned, yet was he a vertuous and well meanynge man.
a1557 N. GRIMALDE in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 106 That nothyng hynder your welmeanyng minde.
1579 W. WILKINSON Confut. Fam. Love Bij, Take this briefe freindly and well meaning aunswere to your exceptions in good part.
1593 SHAKES. Rich. II, II. i. 128 My brother Gloucester, plaine well meaning soule.
1649 MILTON Eikon. xvii. 158 What a Cordial and well meaning helper they had of him abroad.
...but then we've also got negative ones developing mid-17th century and sticking in for the rest of the OED's examples:
1673 True Worship of God p. iv, Some out of a well meaning mistake, thinking that which they call Preaching, the only means of Salvation.
1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. Ded. 1 'Tis the fault of many a well-meaning Man, to be officious in a wrong place.
1712 ADDISON Spect. No. 299 3 She..treats me like a plain well-meaning Man, who does not know the World.
1828 LYTTON Pelham lxxxi, The annuity we have agreed upon, is only to be given in case of successnot merely for well meaning attempts.
1857 A. MATHEWS Tea-Table Talk I. 342 The well-intentioned but injudicious actions of what are called well-meaning people.
...it's not an absolute thing, of course, and the OED is spotty, but it's interesting to me that "well meaning" was pretty positive in the late middle ages.
Up until the mid 17th century we've got a bunch of examples where "well-meaning" seems completely approvable, a nice, virtuous thing:
1387-8 T. USK Test. Love II. v. 117 Right as see yeveth flood, so draweth see ebbe, and pulleth ayen under wawe al the firste out-throwe, but-if good pyles of noble governaunce in love, in wel-meninge maner, ben sadly grounded.
1555 EDEN Decades (Arb.) 124 And albeit that he were not lerned, yet was he a vertuous and well meanynge man.
a1557 N. GRIMALDE in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 106 That nothyng hynder your welmeanyng minde.
1579 W. WILKINSON Confut. Fam. Love Bij, Take this briefe freindly and well meaning aunswere to your exceptions in good part.
1593 SHAKES. Rich. II, II. i. 128 My brother Gloucester, plaine well meaning soule.
1649 MILTON Eikon. xvii. 158 What a Cordial and well meaning helper they had of him abroad.
...but then we've also got negative ones developing mid-17th century and sticking in for the rest of the OED's examples:
1673 True Worship of God p. iv, Some out of a well meaning mistake, thinking that which they call Preaching, the only means of Salvation.
1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. Ded. 1 'Tis the fault of many a well-meaning Man, to be officious in a wrong place.
1712 ADDISON Spect. No. 299 3 She..treats me like a plain well-meaning Man, who does not know the World.
1828 LYTTON Pelham lxxxi, The annuity we have agreed upon, is only to be given in case of successnot merely for well meaning attempts.
1857 A. MATHEWS Tea-Table Talk I. 342 The well-intentioned but injudicious actions of what are called well-meaning people.
...it's not an absolute thing, of course, and the OED is spotty, but it's interesting to me that "well meaning" was pretty positive in the late middle ages.
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