Dictionary

benign

adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\

medical : not causing death or serious injury

: without cancer : not cancerous

: not causing harm or damage

Full Definition of BENIGN

1
:  of a gentle disposition :  gracious <a benign teacher>
2
a :  showing kindness and gentleness <benign faces>
b :  favorable, wholesome <a benign climate>
3
a :  of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; especially :  not becoming cancerous <a benign lung tumor>
b :  having no significant effect :  harmless <environmentally benign>
be·nig·ni·ty \-ˈnig-nə-tē\ noun
be·nign·ly \-ˈnīn-lē\ adverb
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Examples of BENIGN

  1. … substituting such benign power sources as the hybrid, the fuel cell, and the electric motor in place of … the internal-combustion engine. —Brock Yates, Car and Driver, May 2000

Origin of BENIGN

Middle English benigne, from Anglo-French, from Latin benignus, from bene + gignere to beget — more at kin
First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with BENIGN

A-line, affine, airline, align, alkyne, alpine, assign, at sign, balkline, baseline, beeline, bloodline, blue line, blush wine, bovine, bowline, branchline, breadline, bright-line, buntline, bustline, byline, call sign, canine, caprine, carbine, carmine, cervine, chow line, clothesline, cloud nine, coastline, combine, compline, condign, confine, consign, corvine, cosign, cutline, dateline, deadline, decline, define, design, divine, dragline, driveline, earthshine, Einstein, eiswein, end line, enshrine, entwine, equine, ethyne, fall line, fault line, feline, ferine, first-line, flatline, flight line, foul line, fräulein, frontline, front line, goal line, gold mine, grapevine, guideline, hairline, hard-line, hard pine, headline, hemline, high sign, hipline, Holbein, hotline, ice wine, incline, indign, in fine, in-line, Irvine, jawline, jug wine, landline, land mine, lang syne, lifeline, load line, longline, lupine, mainline, main line, malign, midline, moline, moonshine, neckline, off-line, old-line, online, opine, outline, outshine, ovine, Pauline, peace sign, Petrine, pipeline, piscine, pitch pine, plotline, plumb line, plus sign, pontine, porcine, potline, pound sign, propine, punch line, rapine, recline, redline, red pine, refine, reline, repine, resign, ridgeline, roofline, Sabine, saline, Scotch pine, scrub pine, setline, shoreline, short line, sideline, sight line, skyline, snow line, soft-line, spring line, straight-line, strandline, straw wine, streamline, strip mine, strychnine, subline, sunshine, supine, syncline, taurine, tie-line, times sign, topline, touchline, towline, tramline, trapline, tree line, trephine, trotline, truckline, trunk line, tumpline, turbine, untwine, ursine, vespine, V sign, vulpine, waistline, white line, white pine, white wine, woodbine, yard line, zebrine, Z line
BENIGN Defined for Kids

benign

adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\

Definition of BENIGN for Kids

1
:  marked by gentleness and kindness <a benign ruler> <a benign mood>
2
:  not causing death or serious harm <a benign growth on the skin>
be·nign·ly adverb <nodded benignly>
Medical Dictionary

benign

adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\

Medical Definition of BENIGN

1
:  of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life <benign malaria> <a benign tumor>—compare malignant 1
2
:  having a good prognosis :  responding favorably to treatment <a benign psychosis>

Browse

4 ENTRIES FOUND:
Next Word in the Dictionary: benignancyPrevious Word in the Dictionary: benightedAll Words Near: benign
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