Meanings
comparative benigner · comparative more benign · superlative benignest · superlative most benign
- Kind; gentle; mild.
I people my world with benign spirits. Everything talks to me and I respond to it.
1982 December 18, Nancy Walker, “Doodle, Turkey and Pumpkin”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 62 more examples
But though we both entertained these ideas, we differed in their application. Resentment added also a sting to my censure; and I reprobated Raymond's conduct in severe terms. Adrian was more benign, more considerate.
1826, [Mary Shelley], chapter IX, in The Last Man. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLCDuring it, [Ashley] Graham attempted to ask the actor [Hugh Grant] a series of benign questions, and he gave her very little to work with.
2023 March 14, Iris Goldsztajn, “Was Hugh Grant Being Rude to Ashley Graham at the Oscars? The Internet Is Seriously Divided”, in Marie Claire - biologyOf a climate or environment, mild and favorable.
- in compoundsbiologyNot harmful to the environment.
an ozone-benign refrigerant
- medicineNot posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.
a benign tumor
1 more example
Despite the gruesome way it looks, cottontail rabbit papillomavirus is often benign, and many rabbits end up fighting it off on their own.
2025 August 14, Angela Haupt, “What to Know About the Horned ‘Zombie’ Rabbits Hopping Around Colorado”, in TIME, archived from the original on 17 Aug 2025Synonyms: nonmalignant · Antonyms: malignant
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNot posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor)
adjectivekindness of disposition or manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinbenignus“kind, good”
- Old Frenchbenigne
- Middle Englishbenigne
- Englishbenign
From Middle English benigne, benygne, from Old French benigne, from Latin benignus (“kind, good”), from bene (“well”) + genus (“origin, kind”). Compare malign.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَرِيم, لَطِيف
- كَرِيم (karīm)kind, gentle, mild
- لَطِيف (laṭīf)kind, gentle, mild
Bulgarian до́бър, благ
- до́бър (dóbăr)kind, gentle, mild
- благ (blag)kind, gentle, mild
- прия́тен (prijáten)kind, gentle, mild
- мил (mil)kind, gentle, mild
- любе́зен (ljubézen)kind, gentle, mild
- доброка́чествен (dobrokáčestven)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Catalan benigne, benigne
- benignekind, gentle, mild
- benigne(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Chinese Mandarin 和藹 /和蔼, 溫和 /温和
- 和藹 /和蔼 (hé'ǎi)kind, gentle, mild
- 溫和 /温和 (wēnhé)kind, gentle, mild
- 善良 (shànliáng)kind, gentle, mild
- 溫和 /温和 (wēnhé)(of a climate or environment) mild and favorable
- 宜人 (yírén)(of a climate or environment) mild and favorable
- 無害 /无害 (wúhài)(in combination) not harmful to the environment
- 良性 (liángxìng)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- 無害 /无害 (wúhài)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Czech laskavý, vlídný
- laskavýkind, gentle, mild
- vlídnýkind, gentle, mild
- dobrotivýkind, gentle, mild
- nezhoubný(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- benigní(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- neškodný(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Dutch goedaardig, goedaardig
- goedaardigkind, gentle, mild
- goedaardig(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Esperanto benigna
- benigna(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Finnish ystävällinen, lauhkea
- ystävällinenkind, gentle, mild
- lauhkea(of a climate or environment) mild and favorable
- ystävällinen(in combination) not harmful to the environment
- hyvänlaatuinen(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
French bénin, bénin
- béninkind, gentle, mild
- bénin(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
German freundlich, gütig
- freundlichkind, gentle, mild
- gütigkind, gentle, mild
- liebevollkind, gentle, mild
- gutartig(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Greek αγαθός, καλοκάγαθος
- αγαθός (agathós)kind, gentle, mild
- καλοκάγαθος (kalokágathos)kind, gentle, mild
- καλοήθης (kaloḯthis)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Hungarian jóindulatú, benignus
- jóindulatú(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- benignus(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Italian benigno
- benigno(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Latin benignus
- benignuskind, gentle, mild
Lithuanian gerybinis
- gerybinis(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Māori māhaki, ngū
- māhakikind, gentle, mild
- ngū(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Norwegian Bokmål godartet
- godartet(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Persian خوشخیم
- خوشخیم (xoš-xim)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Polish łagodny, łagodny
- łagodnykind, gentle, mild
- łagodny(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- nieszkodliwy(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Portuguese benigno, benigno
- benignokind, gentle, mild
- benigno(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Romanian blând, benign (med.)
- blândkind, gentle, mild
- benign (med.)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Russian до́брый, любе́зный
- до́брый (dóbryj)kind, gentle, mild
- любе́зный (ljubéznyj)kind, gentle, mild
- мя́гкий (mjáxkij)kind, gentle, mild
- прия́тный (prijátnyj)kind, gentle, mild
- благоприя́тный (blagoprijátnyj)kind, gentle, mild
- доброка́чественный (dobrokáčestvennyj)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Slovak mierny, prívetivý
- miernykind, gentle, mild
- prívetivýkind, gentle, mild
- nezhubný(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Spanish benigno, benigno
- benignokind, gentle, mild
- benigno(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Swedish godartad, benign
- godartad(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
- benign(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Ukrainian доброя́кісний
- доброя́кісний (dobrojákisnyj)(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health — see also malignant
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with benign
Anagrams
Cite this entry
benign. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benign
“benign.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benign. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “benign,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benign.
Source: benign on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.