First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
benign
adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\
medical : not causing death or serious injury
: without cancer : not cancerous
: not causing harm or damage
Full Definition of BENIGN
1
: of a gentle disposition : gracious <a benign teacher>
3
a : of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; especially : not becoming cancerous <a benign lung tumor> b : having no significant effect : harmless <environmentally benign>
— be·nig·ni·ty \-ˈnig-nə-tē\ noun
— be·nign·ly \-ˈnīn-lē\ adverb
See benign defined for English-language learners
See benign defined for kids
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Examples of BENIGN
- … substituting such benign power sources as the hybrid, the fuel cell, and the electric motor in place of … the internal-combustion engine. —Brock Yates, Car and Driver, May 2000
- Rather than a benign fairytale creature that delivers babies, the marabou stork is an ugly, viciously predatory African bird that preys on flamingos … —James Polk, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1996
- … her pulled-back black hair had gone gray in strange distinct bands, but she seemed much as he remembered her, solid and energetic, with a certain benign defiance. —John Updike, New Yorker, 23 May 1988
- When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign. —Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969
- [+]more
Origin of BENIGN
Middle English benigne, from Anglo-French, from Latin benignus, from bene + gignere to beget — more at kin
Related to BENIGN
- Antonyms
- adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked
Rhymes with BENIGN
A-line, affine, airline, align, alkyne, alpine, assign, at sign, balkline, baseline, beeline, bloodline, blue line, blush wine, bovine, bowline, branchline, breadline, bright-line, buntline, bustline, byline, call sign, canine, caprine, carbine, carmine, cervine, chow line, clothesline, cloud nine, coastline, combine, compline, condign, confine, consign, corvine, cosign, cutline, dateline, deadline, decline, define, design, divine, dragline, driveline, earthshine, Einstein, eiswein, end line, enshrine, entwine, equine, ethyne, fall line, fault line, feline, ferine, first-line, flatline, flight line, foul line, fräulein, frontline, front line, goal line, gold mine, grapevine, guideline, hairline, hard-line, hard pine, headline, hemline, high sign, hipline, Holbein, hotline, ice wine, incline, indign, in fine, in-line, Irvine, jawline, jug wine, landline, land mine, lang syne, lifeline, load line, longline, lupine, mainline, main line, malign, midline, moline, moonshine, neckline, off-line, old-line, online, opine, outline, outshine, ovine, Pauline, peace sign, Petrine, pipeline, piscine, pitch pine, plotline, plumb line, plus sign, pontine, porcine, potline, pound sign, propine, punch line, rapine, recline, redline, red pine, refine, reline, repine, resign, ridgeline, roofline, Sabine, saline, Scotch pine, scrub pine, setline, shoreline, short line, sideline, sight line, skyline, snow line, soft-line, spring line, straight-line, strandline, straw wine, streamline, strip mine, strychnine, subline, sunshine, supine, syncline, taurine, tie-line, times sign, topline, touchline, towline, tramline, trapline, tree line, trephine, trotline, truckline, trunk line, tumpline, turbine, untwine, ursine, vespine, V sign, vulpine, waistline, white line, white pine, white wine, woodbine, yard line, zebrine, Z line
BENIGNITY Defined for Kids
benign
adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\
Definition of BENIGN for Kids
1
: marked by gentleness and kindness <a benign ruler> <a benign mood>
2
: not causing death or serious harm <a benign growth on the skin>
— be·nign·ly adverb <nodded benignly>
Medical Dictionary
benign
adjective be·nign \bi-ˈnīn\
Medical Definition of BENIGN
1
: of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life <benign malaria> <a benign tumor>—compare malignant 1
2
: having a good prognosis : responding favorably to treatment <a benign psychosis>
Learn More About BENIGN
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