beneficial

[ben-uh-fish-uhl]

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.

beneficial

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of beneficial¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of beneficial¹

C15: from Late Latin beneficiālis , from Latin beneficium kindness

Example Sentences

Exercise is a cornerstone of osteoarthritis care, yet many medical guidelines lack clear direction on which kinds are most beneficial for knee osteoarthritis specifically.

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"I think overall it's really beneficial and this extra hour on a Wednesday gives him time to do stuff he wouldn't normally do in school," he says.

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But perspiration is of course beneficial in a very basic way: it cools us down.

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He also wrote the endowment tax and other changes being considered out of D.C. hurt the school’s “efforts to advance national security, energy production, and the beneficial use of artificial intelligence.”

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Whether individual nutrients can also spark beneficial effects in humans -- and potentially help prevent age-related diseases -- remains to be investigated.

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Related Words

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