beneficial
Americanadjective
-
conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful.
the beneficial effect of sunshine.
- Synonyms:
- profitable, favorable, useful, serviceable, wholesome, salutary
- Antonyms:
- harmful
-
Law.
-
helpful in the meeting of needs.
a beneficial association.
-
involving the personal enjoyment of proceeds.
a beneficial owner.
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adjective
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(sometimes foll by to) causing a good result; advantageous
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law entitling a person to receive the profits or proceeds of property
a beneficial interest in land
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of beneficial
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin beneficiālis, equivalent to Latin benefici(um) “kindness” ( see benefice ( def. )) + -ālis -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
If it's beneficial, then it's good for you — or for something. Studying is beneficial to your grades. Exercise is beneficial to your health. Spend any time with Italians and you will hear the word bene over and over. It comes straight from Latin, and Italians use it as often as we use "good;" it can mean "fine," "okay," "yummy," or "kind and well behaved." Bene gives us beneficial, but also benefit, beneficent, benevolent and more well-meaning words.
Vocabulary lists containing beneficial
List 2
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Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 11-20
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So, then again, it can also be a really beneficial platform.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Lead investigator Dr Javier Ottaviani said some simple food switches could "make a real difference" to how much of these beneficial compounds are absorbed.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
"This may allow for the development of novel strategies that target MHC class I and CD4+ T cells to leverage the beneficial side of immunity or mitigate unwanted immune responses."
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
The hyperscalers’ beneficial relationships with OpenAI and Anthropic could already be seen this earnings season in their explosive cloud and backlog growth.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
"Don't forget these. They're popular now. The Minister of Health says we all should ingest colorful vegetables and even flowers. It's beneficial, supposedly."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
