Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless.
- adjective Of no danger to health; not malignant or disease-causing.
- adjective Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable.
- adjective Gentle or kind.
- adjective Showing gentleness or kindness: synonym: kind.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of a kind disposition; gracious; kind; benignant; favorable.
- Proceeding from or expressive of gentleness, kindness, or benignity.
- Favorable; propitious: as, benign planets.
- Genial; mild; salubrious: applied to weather, etc.
- Mild; not severe; not violent; not malignant: used especially in medicine: as, a benign medicine; a benign disease.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable; benignant.
- adjective Exhibiting or manifesting kindness, gentleness, favor, etc.; mild; kindly; salutary; wholesome.
- adjective Of a mild type or character.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Kind ;gentle ;mild . - adjective medicine Not
posing any seriousthreat tohealth ; not particularlyaggressive orrecurrent .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective kindness of disposition or manner
- adjective pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence
- adjective not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term benign is used when describing tumors or growths that do not threaten the health of an individual.
benign 2002
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So to use your term benign, I think it's certainly less promotional.
unknown title 2011
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As a result, he poured all of that exposition into "I.O.U.," which he called the "benign tumor" that came from "Capital."
Author Lanchester, in New Novel, Focuses Again on Financial Crisis | By Barbara Chai 2012
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He entered the club, his expression benign, his chin tilted slightly upward.
The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010
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He entered the club, his expression benign, his chin tilted slightly upward.
The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010
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He entered the club, his expression benign, his chin tilted slightly upward.
The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010
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He entered the club, his expression benign, his chin tilted slightly upward.
The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010
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Cause movement contended it was fought not over slavery - which they characterized as a benign institution - but over states' rights.
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Cause movement contended it was fought not over slavery - which they characterized as a benign institution - but over states' rights.
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Cause movement contended it was fought not over slavery - which they characterized as a benign institution - but over states' rights.
The Seattle Times 2010
super-logos commented on the word benign
And I love the word, benignity. But I do not like the word, benighted.
August 9, 2008