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

These experiments also identified probiotic effects, indicating bamboo may help support gut health by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria.

From Science Daily

"City have spent more than most but brought in more than most too. Doing that has been really beneficial to them. That is the aspect which is not being picked up by fans."

From BBC

Ant and Dec's move to YouTube will be as beneficial to the video platform as it is to the Geordie TV duo, according to Hudson.

From BBC

In this particular instance, you could clarify how AI would help you be more productive, but also emphasize that it is only beneficial with human oversight and can’t replace your specific skillset.

From MarketWatch

It isn’t too early to begin planning how monetary arrangements in the Americas might evolve in beneficial ways.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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