Vocabulary
Benevolent: meaning, word family, and examples
A donor, a fund, and a smile can all be benevolent. What do they share?
Benevolent is a formal adjective for kindness, generosity, or goodwill and can also describe organizations set up to do good. You’ll compare it with beneficial and hear its middle beat.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
benevolent buh-NEV-uh-luhnt
The short answer
Benevolent is a formal adjective for a kind, helpful, or generous person or behavior. It can also describe something that suggests goodwill or an organization set up to do good.
The benevolent donor's funding school meals.
Why it works: The adjective describes the donor as kind and generous.
3 more examples
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A donor at a school
She's a benevolent donor who funds school meals.
The adjective describes the donor as kind and generous.
Not this:Her gift's
beneficial for families. What changes: Beneficial describes the gift's helpful effect. Benevolent describes the donor's kind or generous character. -
A school fund
It's a benevolent fund that pays for school meals.
Benevolent can appear in the name or description of an organization set up to help people.
Not this:The meals are
beneficial for children. What changes: Beneficial describes the good effect of the meals. Benevolent describes the fund as an organization set up to do good. -
A welcoming meeting
The manager gave us a benevolent smile.
A benevolent smile suggests kindness or goodwill.
Not this:The new schedule is
beneficial for families. What changes: The smile suggests goodwill, while the schedule produces a helpful result.
Quick check
Choose the sentence about an organization set up to help people.
A school charity meeting
Which sentence uses benevolent naturally?
Answer: The benevolent fund pays for school meals.
Show the answer
Answer: The benevolent fund pays for school meals.
Benevolent fits because the fund is an organization set up to help people.
Read the full guide
At the library desk, you've found one donated book. You want to describe the donor's generosity and catch the word in quick speech.
People, groups, and behavior
The problem: I thought benevolent only described a person who stated an aim to help.
At a school meeting, you read about a donor and a fund, then notice the head teacher's smile. All three can be called benevolent in the right context. You do not need a direct statement of intention.
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She's a benevolent donor who funds school meals.
Why it works: The donor is described as kind and generous.
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It's a benevolent fund for families.
Why it works: The fund is an organization set up to help people.
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The head teacher gave us a benevolent smile.
Why it works: The smile suggests kindness or goodwill.
Your turn
Which word fits a smile that shows kindness and goodwill?
A school meeting
Answer: benevolent
Show the answer
Answer: benevolent
A smile can be benevolent when it suggests kindness or goodwill.
Hear the middle beat
The problem: In films, the syllables run together and I miss the word.
In a film, a speaker mentions a generous donor, and you miss the word. Say four light beats, with the second one clearer. You don't need equal force on every part. The middle beat helps you catch benevolent.
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She's a benevolent donor, and she's funding meals.
Why it works: You can keep the first part light in this sentence.
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It's a benevolent fund for school meals.
Why it works: You can keep the middle clear before fund.
Your turn
Type the word you hear, then find its clearer middle beat.
A radio report
Answer: The radio host calls the fund benevolent.
Show the answer
Answer: benevolent
The word has four beats, and the second beat is clearer. That matches the sound clue.
Kindness or result?
The problem: I use benevolent when I mean that something produced a good result.
At a clinic, a treatment helped patients. That good effect makes the treatment beneficial. A donor known for kindness or generosity can be benevolent. A smile can also be benevolent when it suggests goodwill. Ask whether the sentence describes kindness or a helpful result.
A person or action is kind or generous, or something suggests goodwill.
She gave us a benevolent smile.
Something helps or produces a good result.
The treatment's beneficial for patients.
Your turn
A donor is known for kindness and generosity. Which word describes the donor?
A community plan
Answer: benevolent
Show the answer
Answer: benevolent
Benevolent describes the donor's kind and generous character. Beneficial describes a helpful effect.
Before you go
Question 1 of 4
Which sentence uses benevolent naturally?
Choosing a sentence about goodwill
Choose the sentence in which benevolent describes goodwill.
Answer: The teacher gave us a benevolent smile.
Show the answer
Answer: The teacher gave us a benevolent smile.
A benevolent smile suggests kindness or goodwill.
Question 2 of 4
Which beat sounds strongest in benevolent?
Listening for the main beat
You hear benevolent in a quick sentence.
Answer: It's the second beat.
Show the answer
Answer: It's the second beat.
The strongest beat, the part you say most clearly, comes second in the four-beat word.
Question 3 of 4
Type the formal adjective for a kind and generous donor.
Describing a donor
Answer: The benevolent donor has helped local families for years.
Show the answer
Answer: benevolent
Benevolent describes the donor's kind and generous character.
Remember this
Use benevolent for kindness, generosity, or goodwill. Use beneficial for a helpful effect, and listen for the middle beat in benevolent.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Benevolent: meaning, word family, and examples"
What does benevolent mean when it describes a person or group?
Benevolent describes someone who is kind, helpful, generous, or willing to do good. It can also describe an organization that exists to help people in need.
The benevolent shop owner quietly paid for a worker's training.
A benevolent association arranged free legal advice for tenants.
Can benevolent describe a smile or other behavior?
Yes. Benevolent can describe a look, smile, or manner that suggests kindness and goodwill. The word does not always require a stated plan to help someone.
The nurse's benevolent expression helped the new patient relax.
He gave the anxious speaker a benevolent nod.
How is benevolent different from beneficial?
Benevolent points to kindness, goodwill, or a wish to do good. Beneficial describes something that has a helpful effect or produces a good result.
The benevolent landlord waived the late fee because the tenant was ill.
The new insulation was beneficial because it reduced heating costs.
Is benevolent a formal word?
Yes. Oxford labels benevolent as formal. It often appears in careful descriptions of people, leaders, employers, and organizations. In everyday speech, kind may sound more natural.
The report described the foundation as a benevolent organization.
In everyday conversation, Mia simply called her neighbor kind.
What are the noun and adverb forms of benevolent?
The noun is benevolence, which means the quality of being kind or helpful. The adverb is benevolently, which describes doing something in a kind or helpful way.
Her benevolence helped the shelter replace its broken beds.
The manager responded benevolently when the employee asked for time off.
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