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benevolent. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
benevolent, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
benevolent in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
benevolent you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Old French benevolent, borrowed from Latin benevolēns ("well wishing"). Displaced native Old English welwillende.
Pronunciation
Adjective
benevolent (comparative more benevolent, superlative most benevolent)
- Having a disposition to do good.
Chinese and Eastern mythologies describe dragons as benevolent.
- Possessing or manifesting love for mankind.
- Altruistic, charitable, good, just and fair.
1989 December 24, Kevin M. Cathcart, “Homophobia Never Innocent”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 24, page 5:This bill was not a gift from a benevolent legislature; it was a victory for the community which worked for its passage.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
having a disposition to do good
- Arabic: خَيِّر (ḵayyir)
- Belarusian: добразы́члівы (dobrazýčlivy), зы́члівы (zýčlivy)
- Bulgarian: доброжела́телен (bg) (dobroželátelen), благоскло́нен (bg) (blagosklónen)
- Catalan: benèvol (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 仁慈 (zh) (réncí), 慈善 (zh) (císhàn), 善良 (zh) (shànliáng)
- Danish: velvillig
- Dutch: welwillend (nl), goedaardig (nl)
- Finnish: hyvänsuopa (fi), hyväntahtoinen (fi), hyvänsuopainen
- French: bienveillant (fr)
- Galician: benevolente
- Georgian: კეთილმოსურნე (ḳetilmosurne)
- German: wohlwollend (de), mildherzig, gütig (de)
- Greek: καλοήθης (el) (kaloḯthis)
- Japanese: 優しい (ja) (やさしい, yasashii)
- Korean: 자애롭다 (ko) (jaaeropda), 상냥하다 (ko) (sangnyanghada)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: دڵ سۆز (dill soz)
- Latin: benevolens
- Macedonian: добронамерен (dobronameren)
- Malayalam: പരോപകാരി (ml) (parōpakāri)
- Maori: ngākau aroha
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: velvillig (no), velmenende (no)
- Old English: welwillende
- Persian: نیککامه (nikkâme), خیرخواه (fa) (xeyrxâh)
- Portuguese: benevolente (pt)
- Romanian: binevoitor (ro)
- Russian: благожела́тельный (ru) (blagoželátelʹnyj), доброжела́тельный (ru) (dobroželátelʹnyj), благоскло́нный (ru) (blagosklónnyj), до́брый (ru) (dóbryj), ми́лостивый (ru) (mílostivyj)
- Sanskrit: मैत्रेय (sa) m (maitreya)
- Spanish: benevolente, benévolo (es)
- Swedish: välvillig (sv)
- Turkish: hayırsever (tr), iyiliksever (tr)
- Ukrainian: доброзичли́вий m (dobrozyčlývyj), зичли́вий m (zyčlývyj)
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possessing or manifesting love for mankind
See also