Benign definition

bĭ-nīn

Good-natured; kindly.

adjective

Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless.

A benign chemical; benign indifference.

adjective

(med.) Doing little or no harm; not malignant; specif., not cancerous.

Benign tumors.

adjective

Favorable; beneficial.

adjective

The definition of benign is something good, kind or not dangerous.

A non-cancerous tumor is an example of a benign growth.

Earth friendly cleaning products are an example of benign reactions to the environment.

adjective

Of no danger to health; not malignant or disease-causing.

A benign tumor.

adjective

Gentle or kind.

adjective

Of no danger to health; not malignant or disease-causing.

A benign tumor.

adjective

Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable.

A policy with benign consequences for the economy.

adjective

Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless.

A benign chemical; benign indifference.

adjective

Showing gentleness or kindness.

A benign smile.

adjective

Not life-threatening or severe, and likely to respond to treatment, as a tumor that is not malignant.

Kind; gentle; mild.

adjective

(medicine) Not posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.

adjective

Other Word Forms

Adjective

Base Form:

benign

Comparative:

benigner

Superlative:

benignest

Origin of benign

Middle English benigne from Old French from Latin benignus genə- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Old French benigne, from Latin benignus (“kind, good”), from bonus (“good”) + genus (“origin, kind”). Compare malign.

From Wiktionary

Benign definition

Other Word Forms

Adjective

Origin of benign

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

From Wiktionary

Benign Sentence Examples

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