beneficial
Americanadjective
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conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful.
the beneficial effect of sunshine.
- Synonyms:
- profitable, favorable, useful, serviceable, wholesome, salutary
- Antonyms:
- harmful
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Law.
-
helpful in the meeting of needs.
a beneficial association.
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involving the personal enjoyment of proceeds.
a beneficial owner.
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adjective
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(sometimes foll by to) causing a good result; advantageous
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law entitling a person to receive the profits or proceeds of property
a beneficial interest in land
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beneficial
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin beneficiālis, equivalent to Latin benefici(um) “kindness” ( see benefice ( def. )) + -ālis -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
If it's beneficial, then it's good for you — or for something. Studying is beneficial to your grades. Exercise is beneficial to your health. Spend any time with Italians and you will hear the word bene over and over. It comes straight from Latin, and Italians use it as often as we use "good;" it can mean "fine," "okay," "yummy," or "kind and well behaved." Bene gives us beneficial, but also benefit, beneficent, benevolent and more well-meaning words.
Vocabulary lists containing beneficial
List 2
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Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 11-20
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead of focusing only on removing amyloid plaques, future treatments might aim to preserve beneficial early microglial activity or influence the transition between different microglial states.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Erica Holt-White, research and policy manager at the Sutton Trust, said the experiences of these students, and thousands of others like them, show why meaningful work experience can be so beneficial.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“If an unwanted inheritance is anticipated from a family member, it might be beneficial to use a qualified disclaimer to reject the bequest,” says Baker Tilly, a New York-based advisory, tax and assurance firm.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
A “health advisory” from the American Psychological Association calls the technology “not inherently beneficial or harmful.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
She reminded Mark Antony of the long and mutually beneficial relationship the Ptolemies and Rome enjoyed.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
