beneficial

American  

[ben-uh-fish-uhl] / ˌbɛn əˈfɪʃ əl /

adjective

1. conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful.

   the beneficial effect of sunshine.

   Synonyms:

   profitable, favorable, useful, serviceable, wholesome, salutary

   Antonyms:

   harmful

2. Law.

   1. helpful in the meeting of needs.

      a beneficial association.

   2. involving the personal enjoyment of proceeds.

      a beneficial owner.

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beneficial British  

/ ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃəl /

adjective

1. (sometimes foll by to) causing a good result; advantageous

2. law entitling a person to receive the profits or proceeds of property

   a beneficial interest in land

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Other Word Forms

• beneficially adverb
• beneficialness noun
• nonbeneficial adjective
• nonbeneficially adverb
• nonbeneficialness noun
• quasi-beneficial adjective
• quasi-beneficially adverb
• unbeneficial adjective
• unbeneficially adverb
• unbeneficialness noun

Etymology

Origin of beneficial

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin beneficiālis, equivalent to Latin benefici(um) “kindness” ( benefice ( def. ) ) + -ālis -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

"I was keen to find something that was good for the planet but also nutritionally beneficial."

From Barron's

A 102-year-old woman with a lifelong love of dancing has said that actively taking up the hobby in later life has been "beneficial" to her longevity.

From BBC

Even so, the team emphasized that "further research would be beneficial for testing the hypothesis that the lake/depression resulted from a cosmic impact."

From Science Daily

"Not all blowflies are harmful, and many are beneficial," Murillo said.

From Science Daily

In this case, the virus was stripped of harmful components and loaded with beneficial cargo -- pleiotrophin -- so it could deliver the molecule directly into cells.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• benign
• constructive
• favorable
• good
• helpful
• profitable
• useful
• valuable