Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous.
  • adjective Law Involving the receipt of funds, property, or other benefits, as from an insurance policy or trust.
  • noun Organisms that are beneficial to a human endeavor, especially insects that are predators of pests.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Contributing to a valuable end; conferring benefit; advantageous; profitable; useful; helpful.
  • Having or conferring the right to the use or benefit, as of property; pertaining or entitled to the usufruet: as, a beneficial owner (which see, below); a beneficial interest in an estate.
  • Pertaining to or having a benefice; beneficed.
  • Kind; generous: as, a “beneficial foe,”
  • noun A benefice; a church living.
  • noun In zoology, an animal which benefits man by destroying or checking the increase of animals injurious to him.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Conferring benefits; useful; profitable; helpful; advantageous; serviceable; contributing to a valuable end; -- followed by to.
  • adjective (Law) Receiving, or entitled to have or receive, advantage, use, or benefit.
  • adjective obsolete King.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Helpful or good to something or someone.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective promoting or enhancing well-being

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French beneficial, from Late Latin beneficiālis, from Latin beneficium, benefit; see benefice.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin beneficiālis ("beneficial"), from Latin beneficium ("benefit, favor, kindness").

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Examples

  • "We're trying to protect what we call the beneficial uses of the water," Cash said.

    Local News 2009

  • "We're trying to protect what we call the beneficial uses of the water," Cash said.

    Local News 2009

  • This month, the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program selected its new group of First Mover Fellows: individuals embedded deep within large companies with great capacity to lead the way to achieving fundamental social change -- change that is also strategic and long-term beneficial for the companies involved.

    Judith Samuelson: Business Must Lead From the "Mud" to Bring About Big Change Judith Samuelson 2011

  • This month, the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program selected its new group of First Mover Fellows: individuals embedded deep within large companies with great capacity to lead the way to achieving fundamental social change -- change that is also strategic and long-term beneficial for the companies involved.

    Judith Samuelson: Business Must Lead From the "Mud" to Bring About Big Change Judith Samuelson 2011

  • This month, the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program selected its new group of First Mover Fellows: individuals embedded deep within large companies with great capacity to lead the way to achieving fundamental social change -- change that is also strategic and long-term beneficial for the companies involved.

    Judith Samuelson: Business Must Lead From the "Mud" to Bring About Big Change Judith Samuelson 2011

  • Government spending can be reduced by enormous amounts without serious consequences, and long-term beneficial effect, but in the short term this can result in an adjustment period with recessionary implications.

    The Economics Of Substantial Budget Cuts 2011

  • This month, the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program selected its new group of First Mover Fellows: individuals embedded deep within large companies with great capacity to lead the way to achieving fundamental social change -- change that is also strategic and long-term beneficial for the companies involved.

    Judith Samuelson: Business Must Lead From the "Mud" to Bring About Big Change Judith Samuelson 2011

  • Both of these applications of stock creation are finite in beneficial extent.

    Stock Options as Tax Deferral, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • If it becomes known that the govenment intends to use the banks that pass inspection in beneficial take-overs of the banks that fail (or their assets anyway) the most secure banks will seek out the government so that they could be inspected early.

    Matthew Yglesias » Nationalizing in Order 2009

  • Government spending can be reduced by enormous amounts without serious consequences, and long-term beneficial effect, but in the short term this can result in an adjustment period with recessionary implications.

    The Economics Of Substantial Budget Cuts 2011

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