adjective
benevolent
buh-NEH-vuh-luhnt
adjective
1
Kind, generous, and wishing to do good for others.
"A benevolent donor covered the cost of the new playground."
"She ruled the company like a benevolent, if slightly overbearing, aunt."
How to Use Benevolent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishKind-hearted and genuinely wanting good things for other people.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
benevolent smile
benevolent dictator
benevolent society
Word Forms
more benevolent comparative, most benevolent superlative
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A _____ donor covered the cost of the new playground.
Etymology
From Old French benevolent, from Latin benevolens, "wishing well" — literally bene ("well") plus volens ("wishing").