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

Nix points to two possible reasons why office relationships can be both beneficial and so costly.

From The Wall Street Journal

That said, my mother is in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and spending more time with her while helping my father and grandmother would be beneficial for all of them.

From MarketWatch

Not long ago, Amodei wrote an essay in which he agreed that AI was beneficial and necessary for democracies, but “we cannot ignore the potential for abuse of these technologies by democratic governments themselves.”

From Los Angeles Times

Regulatory barriers rather than AI itself represent a significant obstacle to beneficial innovation in healthcare.

From Los Angeles Times

Blood samples were analyzed for LDL cholesterol levels and for dihydroferulic acid, a phenolic compound thought to be produced by beneficial gut bacteria.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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