First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
benevolent
adjective be·nev·o·lent \bə-ˈnev-lənt, -ˈne-və-\
: kind and generous
: organized to do good things for other people
Full Definition of BENEVOLENT
1
a : marked by or disposed to doing good <a benevolent donor> b : organized for the purpose of doing good <a benevolent society>
2
: marked by or suggestive of goodwill <benevolent smiles>
— be·nev·o·lent·ly adverb
— be·nev·o·lent·ness noun
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Examples of BENEVOLENT
- Trees that size are like whales, sort of benevolent in their huge bulk … —Sebastian Junger, This Old House, March/April 1998
- Grandfather sometimes turned on us like a rigged trap, and of course the benevolent gaze of the sage became the glare of the patriarch. —Darryl Pinckney, High Cotton, 1992
- They tore out the windows of the club's simple storefront and bricked them over and left two much smaller windows … so that the look of the club changed from that of a benevolent neighborhood organization to that of a paramilitary one. —“The Talk of the Town” ,New Yorker26 Feb. 1990
- A Southern writer is allowed his eccentricities. The prevailing attitude is a kind of benevolent neglect. —Walker Percy, “Why I Live Where I Live,” 1980, in Signposts in a Strange Land, 1991
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Origin of BENEVOLENT
Middle English, from Latin benevolent-, benevolens, from bene + volent-, volens, present participle of velle to wish — more at will
Related to BENEVOLENT
- Synonyms
- beneficent, humane, benignant, compassionate, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, kindly, softhearted, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, warmhearted
Rhymes with BENEVOLENT
BENEVOLENTLY Defined for Kids
benevolent
adjective be·nev·o·lent \bə-ˈne-və-lənt\
Definition of BENEVOLENT for Kids
1
: having a desire to do good : kindly <a benevolent organization>
2
: marked by or suggestive of a kindly feeling <a benevolent face>
— be·nev·o·lent·ly adverb <smiled benevolently>
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