benign

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adjective

having a kindly disposition; gracious: a benign king.

showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness: a benign smile.

favorable; propitious: a series of benign omens and configurations in the heavens.

(of weather) salubrious; healthful; pleasant or beneficial.

Pathology. not malignant; self-limiting.

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What Is Benign?

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What Does Benign Mean?

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English benigne < Anglo-French, Old French benigne (feminine), benin (masculine) < Latin benignus kind, generous, equivalent to beni-, combining form of bonus good (see bene-) + -gnus, derivative of the base of gignere to beget (see genitor, genus), hence, perhaps, “good by nature”; cf. malign

Related forms

be·nign·ly, adverb

su·per·be·nign, adjective

su·per·be·nign·ly, adverb

un·be·nign, adjective

un·be·nign·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1. good, kindly, benignant, benevolent, tender, humane, gentle, compassionate.

Antonyms
3. sinister.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To benign

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Collins

World English Dictionary

benign (bɪˈnaɪn)

—*adj*
1.	showing kindliness; genial
2.	(of soil, climate, etc) mild; gentle
3.	favourable; propitious
4.	pathol (of a tumour, etc) not threatening to life or health; not malignant

[C14: from Old French benigne, from Latin benignus, from bene well + gignere to produce]

be'nignly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

benign

early 14c., from O.Fr. benigne (12c., "kind, benign, merciful, gracious;" Mod.Fr. bénin, fem. bénigne), from L. benignus "kindly, kindhearted, friendly, generous," lit. "well born," from bene "well" (see bene-) + gignere "to bear, beget," from genus "birth"

(see genus). For similar sense evolution, cf. gentle, kind (adj.), generous.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

benign be·nign (bĭ-nīn')
adj.
Of no danger to health, especially relating to a tumorous growth; not malignant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

benign

(bĭ-nīn') Pronunciation Key
Not life-threatening or severe, and likely to respond to treatment, as a tumor that is not malignant. Compare malignant.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

benign [(bi-neyen)]

A descriptive term for conditions that present no danger to life or well-being. Benign is the opposite of malignant.

Note: The term benign is used when describing tumors or growths that do not threaten the health of an individual.

Example sentences

In laboratory tests, they found that adding sarcosine to prostate cells caused

benign cells to become cancerous and invasive.

The material also happens to be cheap, environmentally benign, and has a high

energy density.

Benign nodules have many causes, including old scars and infections.

Neem is so benign that it appears in some brands of toothpaste.

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"The price which society pays for the law of competition, like the price it pays for cheap comforts and luxuries, is great; but the advantages of this law are also greater still than its cost—for it is to this law that we owe our wonderful material development, which brings improved conditions in its train. But, whether the law be benign or not, we must say of it ...: It is here; we cannot evade it; no substitutes for it have been found; and while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department."

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