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

Welbeck has not played for England since a friendly against Switzerland in 2018, but has the quality and experience of playing in big matches for his country that could be beneficial to Tuchel.

From BBC

Content that is age appropriate and used to supplement instruction can be beneficial as long as it avoids rewarding children for play, is not overstimulating and doesn’t include autoplay or distractions like ads, Munzer said.

From Los Angeles Times

Katz eventually gave up his plans, and Buffett later acknowledged that the launch of Class B shares turned out to be beneficial for the company.

From The Wall Street Journal

The research noted that “social media, gaming and browsing for fun may be beneficial at low levels of use,” and can be helpful in maintaining offline relationships, but “become increasingly harmful as time spent increases.”

From MarketWatch

Reduced levels may weaken the mucus barrier, while excessive amounts could eliminate beneficial bacteria that normally inhabit the gut.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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