Adjacent Words

Benevolent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BENEV'OLENT, a. [L. benevolens, of bene and volo.]
Having a disposition to do good; possessing love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; kind.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
2: showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity; "was charitable in his opinions of others"; "kindly criticism"; "a kindly act"; "sympathetic words"; "a large-hearted mentor" [syn: charitable, benevolent, kindly, sympathetic, good-hearted, openhearted, large-hearted]
3: generous in providing aid to others [syn: benevolent, freehearted]
4: generous in assistance to the poor; "a benevolent contributor"; "eleemosynary relief"; "philanthropic contributions" [syn: beneficent, benevolent, eleemosynary, philanthropic]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin benevolent-, benevolens, from bene + volent-, volens, present participle of velle to wish — more at will Date: 15th century 1. a. marked by or disposed to doing good <a benevolent donor> b. organized for the purpose of doing good <a benevolent society> 2. marked by or suggestive of goodwill <benevolent smiles> • benevolently adverb • benevolentness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 wishing to do good; actively friendly and helpful. 2 charitable (benevolent fund; benevolent society). Derivatives: benevolence n. benevolently adv. Etymology: ME f. OF benivolent f. L bene volens -entis well wishing f. velle wish

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Benevolent Be*nev"o*lent, a. [L. benevolens, -entis; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + volens, p. pr. of volo I will, I wish. See Bounty, and Voluntary.] Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. -- Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv. Syn: Benevolent, Beneficent. Usage: Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase ``benevolent labors'' turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, ``beneficent intentions'' point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while ``benevolent intentions'' would only denote a general wish and design to do good.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you describe a person in authority as benevolent, you mean that they are kind and fair. The company has proved to be a most benevolent employer... ADJ • benevolently Thorne nodded his understanding, smiling benevolently. ADV: ADV with v • benevolence A bit of benevolence from people in power is not what we need. 2. Benevolent is used in the names of some organizations that give money and help to people who need it. (BRIT) ...the Army Benevolent Fund. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Kind, benignant, benign, kind-hearted, obliging, humane, tender, charitable, generous, liberal, philanthropic, altruistic, unselfish, disposed to do good, full of good-will.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodating, advantageous, affable, agreeable, almsgiving, altruistic, amiable, amicable, auspicious, beneficent, beneficial, benign, benignant, big, bighearted, bon, bonny, braw, bueno, capital, caring, charitable, chivalrous, cogent, commendable, compassionate, complaisant, compliant, conciliatory, considerate, cooperative, decent, eleemosynary, elegant, estimable, excellent, expedient, fair, famous, favorable, fine, forbearing, forgiving, freehearted, friendly, generous, good, goodly, gracious, grand, greathearted, healthy, helpful, humane, humanitarian, indulgent, kind, kindly, kindly-disposed, largehearted, laudable, liberal, lofty, long-suffering, longanimous, magnanimous, neighborly, nice, noble, obliging, open-handed, openhanded, overindulgent, overpermissive, patient, permissive, philanthropic, placable, pleasant, profitable, propitious, public-spirited, regal, royal, salutary, skillful, sound, sparing, splendid, sympathetic, tenderhearted, thoughtful, tolerant, unresentful, unrevengeful, useful, valid, very good, virtuous, warm-hearted, welfare, welfare statist, welfarist, well-affected, well-disposed, well-intentioned, well-meaning, well-meant