benevolence
Americannoun
-
desire to do good to others; goodwill; charitableness.
to be filled with benevolence toward one's fellow creatures.
- Antonyms:
- malevolence
-
an act of kindness; a charitable gift.
She bequeathed many benevolences from her vast fortune.
-
English History. a forced contribution to the sovereign.
noun
-
inclination or tendency to help or do good to others; charity
-
an act of kindness
-
(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
Etymology
Origin of benevolence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin benevolentia; benevolent, -ence
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.
It’s that type of benevolence that fuels Minnesota nice, and what shatters it.
From Salon
In fact, the creature possesses an instinctive benevolence, which is corrupted by rejection.
“It became pretty clear that there were strings attached to his benevolence,” she said.
This is not to say that “Wicked” was some noble emblem of blockbuster benevolence.
From Salon
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.
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.
