benign

American  

[bih-nahyn] / bɪˈnaɪn /

adjective

1. Pathology. not malignant; self-limiting.

   a benign brain tumor.

2. having no harmful influence or effect.

   ecologically benign and sustainable building materials.

3. having a kindly disposition; gracious.

   a benign king.

   Synonyms:

   compassionate, gentle, humane, tender, benevolent, benignant, kindly, good

4. showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness.

   a benign smile.

5. favorable; propitious.

   a series of benign omens and configurations in the heavens.

   Antonyms:

   sinister

6. (of weather) pleasant or beneficial; salubrious; healthful.

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benign British  

/ bɪˈnaɪn /

adjective

1. showing kindliness; genial

2. (of soil, climate, etc) mild; gentle

3. favourable; propitious

4. pathol (of a tumour, etc) not threatening to life or health; not malignant

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benign Scientific  

/ bĭ-nīn′ /

1. Not life-threatening or severe, and likely to respond to treatment, as a tumor that is not malignant.

2. Compare malignant

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benign Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for conditions that present no danger to life or well-being. Benign is the opposite of malignant.

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Usage

What’s the difference between benign and malignant? In a medical context, the word benign is used to describe masses or tumors that are not cancerous—those that do not spread disease to other parts of the body. The word malignant is the opposite—it’s used to describe harmful masses or tumors that are cancerous and that grow and spread disease.Both words are sometimes also used in general ways. Benign can mean kind, favorable, or gracious, while malignant can mean harmful or intended or intending to cause harm.The best clue to help remember their meanings is the prefix mal-, which means “bad” and shows up in a lot of other negative words, such as malfunction, malpractice, malicious, and maleficent.Here’s an example of benign and malignant used correctly in the same sentence.Example: She was afraid the lump was a malignant tumor, but it turned out to be a benign cyst—totally harmless.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between benign and malignant.

Discover More

The term benign is used when describing tumors or growths that do not threaten the health of an individual.

Other Word Forms

• benignly adverb
• superbenign adjective
• unbenign adjective

Etymology

Origin of benign

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English benigne, from Anglo-French, Old French benigne (feminine), benin (masculine), from Latin benignus “kind, generous,” equivalent to beni-, combining form of bonus “good” ( bene- ) + -gnus, derivative of the base of gignere “to beget” ( genitor, genus ), hence, perhaps, “good by nature”; malign

Example Sentences

Inflation, then, tends to be more benign, and earnings growth tends to surprise on the upside.

From Barron's

Wall Street stocks edged higher early Friday, pushing major indices further into record territory as markets eyed a benign finale to the 2025 trading season.

From Barron's

The Goldman BDC trouble shows what can happen with more benign issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, global credit will begin the year with a generally benign outlook, according to the agency, adding that it expects the credit resilience seen this year to continue.

From The Wall Street Journal

While many of the questions were benign, including several from children, from a one reporter from Yakutia in north-eastern Siberia highlighted a tenfold increase in energy prices in the past four years.

From BBC

Related Words

• benevolent
• favorable
• friendly
• gentle
• mild