beneficial

comparative more beneficial · superlative most beneficial · alternative misspelling benefitial

1. Helpful or good to something or someone.

   Recycling and reusing garbage can be beneficial to the environment.

   2 more examples

   Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.

   2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3

   Yes, there are microbes everywhere and most are just fine for us, perhaps even beneficial to our microbiomes and immune systems. We don’t care about those.

   2019 October 7, Sandee LaMotte, “The germiest place in your home and the best way to combat those microbes”, in CNN, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2023

   Synonyms: advantageous, behooveful, helpful, useful, positive

2. Receiving a benefit from something.

   the beneficial owner of a company

3. Relating to a benefice.

   Synonyms: usufructuary, usufructuous

plural beneficials · alternative misspelling benefitial

1. Something that provides a benefit.

   Daytime temperatures may be too hot for just-released beneficials, and birds and other predators are out in full force during the day.

   1997, Insect Control Guide, volume 9, Meister Publishing, page 29