beneficent

[ buh-nef-uh-suhnt ]
See synonyms for: beneficentbeneficently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. doing good or causing good to be done; conferring benefits; kindly in action or purpose.

Origin of beneficent

1
First recorded in 1610–20; benefic(ence) + -ent

Other words from beneficent

  • be·nef·i·cent·ly, adverb
  • non·be·nef·i·cent, adjective
  • non·be·nef·i·cent·ly, adverb
  • un·be·nef·i·cent, adjective
  • un·be·nef·i·cent·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with beneficent

Words Nearby beneficent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beneficent in a sentence

  • There is a beneficent heat wave of attention returning to the subject of Thelonious Monk.

    Thelonious Monk Is Back | Stanley Crouch | November 24, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Christians declare that the divine origin and truth of their religion are proved by its beneficent results.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
  • In the beneficent arrangements of Divine love to the young, the latter is first extended.

  • A most beneficent work was set on foot in the foundation of Charity Schools.

    The English Church in the Eighteenth Century | Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
  • Perhaps, too, I may be called to effect so beneficent a work, the humble instrument of a gracious God.

  • The poem was simple and optimistic—it told of the beneficent qualities of rain, as it would appear to one whose roof did not leak.

    Love's Pilgrimage | Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for beneficent

beneficent

/ (bɪˈnɛfɪsənt) /


adjective
  1. charitable; generous

Origin of beneficent

1
C17: from Latin beneficent-, from beneficus; see benefice

Derived forms of beneficent

  • beneficently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012