benevolent

English

Etymology

From Old French benevolent, borrowed from Latin benevolēns ("well wishing"). Displaced native Old English welwillende.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈnɛvələnt/

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic US):

  (file)

Adjective

benevolent (comparative more benevolent, superlative most benevolent)

1. Having a disposition to do good.

   Chinese and Eastern mythologies describe dragons as benevolent.

2. Possessing or manifesting love for mankind.
3. 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

• malevolent

Derived terms

• benevolent absolutism
• benevolent assimilation
• benevolentness
• benevolent overlord
• ecobenevolent
• nonbenevolent
• omnibenevolent
• pseudobenevolent
• semibenevolent
• superbenevolent
• ultrabenevolent
• unbenevolent}benevolently

 

Related terms

• English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *welh₁- (0 c, 15 e)
• benefactor
• beneficent

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)

possessing or manifesting love for mankind

• Bulgarian: човеколюби́в (bg) (čovekoljubív)
• Dutch: liefdadig (nl)
• Finnish: altruistinen (fi), ihmisrakas
• German: altruistisch (de), menschenfreundlich, mildherzig, gütig (de)
• Korean: 자애로운 (jaaeroun)
• Macedonian: човеко́љубив (čovekóljubiv)
• Maori: ngākau aroha
• Norwegian: menneskekjærlig
• Russian: благоду́шный (ru) (blagodúšnyj), филантропи́ческий (ru) (filantropíčeskij), человеколюби́вый (ru) (čelovekoljubívyj)
• Sanskrit: मैत्रेय (sa) m (maitreya)
• Turkish: diğerkâm (obsolete), fedakâr, özgeci (tr), özgecil (tr)

altruistic or charitable

• Bulgarian: ще́дър (bg) (štédǎr), ми́лостив (bg) (mílostiv)
• Catalan: benèfic (ca)
• Dutch: altruïstisch (nl)
• Esperanto: bonfara
• Finnish: altruistinen (fi)
• German: altruistisch (de), wohlwollend (de), wohltätg, gütig (de)
• Malayalam: പരോപകാരി (ml) (parōpakāri)
• Maori: ngākau aroha
• Russian: благотвори́тельный (ru) (blagotvorítelʹnyj), ми́лостивый (ru) (mílostivyj), благоскло́нный (ru) (blagosklónnyj), великоду́шный (ru) (velikodúšnyj) (magnanimous), ще́дрый (ru) (ščédryj) (generous)
• Turkish: altruistik (medicine), fedakâr

See also

• well-wisher