beneficent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of beneficent
First recorded in 1610–20; benefic(ence) + -ent
Explanation
Beneficent is the type of act that helps others. If you're a beneficent person, you probably spend a lot of your time volunteering at soup kitchens or homeless shelters, helping people who are less fortunate than you are. Beneficent shares the same root and sentiment with its fellow adjective, benevolent, which also means something that is good. The two words are so closely related that they also share the same Latin origin. Another related word, benefactor, is someone who gives support to an organization or institution or someone who takes care of another person. Kind, generous, and giving are all synonyms of beneficent.
Vocabulary lists containing beneficent
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Be Nice!
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'Tis The Season: Words For Giving
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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.
At the other end, three nuns from Chicago quietly chatter, favoring passers-by with beneficent smiles.
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
I want to have the greatest beneficent impact on the largest number of people.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025
While the prosecutor at his best is one of the most beneficent forces in our society, when he acts from malice or other base motives, he is one of the worst.
From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025
She is not beneficent or seductive; she’s ruthless and mutilated.
From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2023
It was beneficent, this attention—“Come to Columbia, Malia!” people were shouting—but it was not especially useful for a girl who was trying quietly to imagine her own future.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
