benign
/bɪˈnʌɪn
/adjective
1Gentle and kind: his benign but firm manner...
- What makes an otherwise gentle and benign guy like him speak so callously and cruelly of 950 deaths?
- Visually, the show is a treat, and the tone is mostly benign and gentle.
- She was so gentle and benign, but worked so cleverly with people.
Synonyms
kindly, kind, warm-hearted, good-natured, friendly, warm, affectionate, agreeable, amiable, good-humoured, genial, congenial, cordial, approachable, tender, tender-hearted, soft-hearted, gentle, sympathetic, compassionate, caring, considerate, thoughtful, helpful, well disposed, obliging, accommodating, generous, big-hearted, unselfish, benevolent, gracious, liberal, indulgent
rare benignant
1.1(Of a climate or environment) mild and favourable: the climate becomes more benign as we move nearer to the Black Sea...
- Jersey's benign climate and free-draining sandy soil provide the ideal environment for over 80 species of lavender.
- We often work in a benign weather environment, but we always should be prepared to handle weather contingencies.
- The opposite is true for most Australian wine production, where a benign climate and massive hydroponic systems deliver grapes that are almost identical from one year to the next.
Synonyms
temperate, mild, gentle, clement, calm, balmy, pleasant, agreeable, soft, soothing, refreshing;
healthy, health-giving, wholesome, salubrious
favourable, advantageous, beneficial;
helpful, propitious, auspicious, lucky, opportune, fortunate, providential, encouraging, benevolent, conducive;
right, good
1.2Not harmful to the environment: the cycle as a benign form of transport [in combination]: an ozone-benign refrigerant
2 Medicine (Of a disease) not harmful in effect: a benign condition...
- In actual fact, for the vast majority of cases, the childhood infectious diseases are benign and self-limiting.
- Her past medical history was significant only for an abdominal hysterectomy performed more than 10 years earlier for benign disease.
- Levels exceeding 10 ng per mL are rarely due to benign disease.
2.1(Of a tumour) not malignant: benign growths...
- It is currently believed that most colorectal carcinomas start as benign adenomas that undergo malignant transformation into adenocarcinoma.
- The difference between malignant and benign tumours is that malignant tumours have the ability to invade surrounding areas.
- Pleomorphic adenoma is a benign neoplasm that occurs in major or minor salivary glands.
Synonyms
harmless, non-malignant, non-cancerous, non-dangerous, innocent;
curable, remediable, treatable, removable
technical benignant
Derivatives
benignly
/ adverb ...- The city bristles with billboards, the Chief Minister's face looking down benignly on commuters, urging them to pay their electricity bills on time and online.
- Then the colonial governments had the idea, benignly intended, of protecting the peasant growers from the fluctuations of the marketplace.
- The team looked on benignly because, at that stage, they were level and the game was turning their way.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French benigne, from Latin benignus, probably from bene 'well' + -genus '-born'. Compare with gentle1.