benign

English

Etymology

From Old French benigne, from Latin benignus (“kind, good”), from bene (“well”) + genus (“origin, kind”). Compare malign.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪˈnaɪn/

Adjective

benign (comparative benigner or more benign, superlative benignest or most benign)

1. Kind; gentle; mild.
   • 1826, Mary Shelley, The Last Man, part 1, chapter 9

     But though we both entertained these ideas, we differed in their application. Resentment added also a sting to my censure; and I reprobated Raymond's conduct in severe terms. Adrian was more benign, more considerate.

2. (of a climate or environment) mild and favorable
3. (in combination) Not harmful to the environment.

   an ozone-benign refrigerant

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

Synonyms

• (medicine): non-malignant

Antonyms

• malign
• malignant

Derived terms

Terms derived from benign

• benignly
• benignant

• benignity
• benign neglect

• benign tumor

Translations

kind, gentle, mild

• Bulgarian: до́бър (bg) (dóbǎr), благ (bg) (blag), прия́тен (bg) (prijáten), мил (bg) (mil), любе́зен (bg) (ljubézen)
• Dutch: goedaardig (nl)
• French: bénin (fr)
• Georgian: კეთილშობილი (ḳetilšobili)
• German: freundlich (de), gütig (de), liebevoll (de)
• Greek: αγαθός (el) m (agathós), καλοκάγαθος (el) m (kalokágathos)
• Maori: māhaki

• Polish: łagodny (pl)
• Portuguese: benigno (pt)
• Romanian: blând (ro)
• Russian: до́брый (ru) (dóbryj) (kind), любе́зный (ru) (ljubéznyj) (amiable), мя́гкий (ru) (mjáxkij) (mild, e.g. of measures), прия́тный (ru) (prijátnyj) (pleasant), благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj) (favorable)
• Spanish: benigno (es)
• Turkmen: tultuk

(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health

• Armenian: բարորակ (hy) (barorak)
• Azerbaijani: zərərsiz, xətərsiz
• Bulgarian: доброка́чествен (bg) (dobrokáčestven)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: nezhoubný m, benigní (cs)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hyvänlaatuinen (fi)
• French: bénin (fr)
• Georgian: კეთილთვისებიანი (ḳetiltvisebiani)
• German: gutartig (de)
• Greek: καλοήθης (el) m, f (kaloḯthis)
• Hungarian: jóindulatú (hu)
• Italian: benigno (it)

• Maori: ngū
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: godartet

  Nynorsk: godarta

• Persian: خوش‌خیم‎ (xoš-xim)
• Polish: łagodny (pl), nieszkodliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: benigno (pt)
• Romanian: benign (ro) (med.)
• Russian: доброка́чественный (ru) (dobrokáčestvennyj) (of good quality)
• Spanish: benigno (es)
• Swedish: godartad (sv), benign (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkmen: zyýansyz (tk)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} benigna (io)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} benign (ro)

• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} godartad (sv)