benevolence

[buh-nev-uh-luhns]

noun

1. desire to do good to others; goodwill; charitableness.

   to be filled with benevolence toward one's fellow creatures.

   Antonyms: malevolence

2. an act of kindness; a charitable gift.

   She bequeathed many benevolences from her vast fortune.

3. English History.,  a forced contribution to the sovereign.

benevolence

/ bɪˈnɛvələns /

noun

1. inclination or tendency to help or do good to others; charity

2. an act of kindness

3. (in the Middle Ages) a forced loan or contribution exacted by English kings from their nobility and subjects

Other Word Forms

• nonbenevolence noun
• superbenevolence noun
• unbenevolence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of benevolence¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin benevolentia; benevolent, -ence

Example Sentences

This is not to say that “Wicked” was some noble emblem of blockbuster benevolence.

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It analyzes the forces of corruption and moral probity, capitalism and benevolence—all the rich contradictions and absurdities of the world glimpsed in Jane Austen’s novels.

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It’s a kind of moral laundering, where so-called benevolence masks self-interest.

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Zemeckis’ best picture winner is part of a long Hollywood tradition of looking at bigotry and segregation as all but solved or surmountable due to the grace and benevolence of individual white people.

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There was a degree of benevolence in that ring.

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Related Words

• benefaction 
• benignity 
• compassion 
• good nature 
• good will www.thesaurus.com
• goodwill 
• kindheartedness www.thesaurus.com
• kindliness 
• kindness 
• tenderness www.thesaurus.com