benign

English

Etymology

From Middle English benigne, benygne, 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)
• Catalan: benigne
• 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)
• Interlingue:
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: benignus
• 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)
• Slovak: mierny, prívetivý
• Spanish: benigno (es)
• Turkmen: tultuk

(medicine) not posing any serious threat to health

• Armenian: բարորակ (hy) (barorak)
• Azerbaijani: zərərsiz, xətərsiz
• Bulgarian: доброка́чествен (bg) (dobrokáčestven)
• Catalan: benigne
• 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 or f (kaloḯthis)
• Hungarian: jóindulatú (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• 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)
• Slovak: nezhubný
• 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. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} benigna (io)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} benign (ro)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} godartad (sv)