benign

English

Etymology

From Old French benigne, from Latin benignus (“kind, good”), from bonus (“good”) + 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 e both entertained these ideas, we differed in their application. I reprobated Raymond's conduct in severe terms. Adrian was more benign, more considerate.

2. (of a climate or environment) mild and favorable
3. not harmful to the environment: [in combination] 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)

• 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)
• Azeri: zərərsiz, xətərsiz
• Bulgarian: доброка́чествен (bg) (dobrokáčestven)
• Czech: nezhoubný m, benigní (cs)
• Finnish: hyvänlaatuinen (fi)
• French: bénin (fr)
• Georgian: კეთილთვისებიანი (ḳetiltvisebiani)
• German: gutartig (de)
• Greek: καλοήθης (el) m, f (kaloíthis)
• 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)
• 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
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} benign

• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} godartad