Dictionary.com

beneficial

[ ben-uh-fish-uhl ]
/ ˌbɛn əˈfɪʃ əl /
See synonyms for: beneficial / beneficially on Thesaurus.com

adjective

conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful: the beneficial effect of sunshine.
Law.
  1. helpful in the meeting of needs: a beneficial association.
  2. involving the personal enjoyment of proceeds: a beneficial owner.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
a false belief or opinion.
the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of beneficial

1425–75; late Middle English <Late Latin beneficiālis, equivalent to Latin benefici(um) kindness (see benefice) + -ālis-al1

OTHER WORDS FROM beneficial

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH beneficial

beneficent, beneficial , benevolent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to beneficial

profitable, good, useful, helpful, valuable, constructive, benign, favorable, gainful, healthful, propitious, salubrious, salutary, serviceable, toward, wholesome, worthy, favoring

Example sentences from the Web for beneficial

British Dictionary definitions for beneficial

beneficial
/ (ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃəl) /

adjective

(sometimes foll by to) causing a good result; advantageous
law entitling a person to receive the profits or proceeds of propertya beneficial interest in land

Derived forms of beneficial

beneficially, adverb

Word Origin for beneficial

C15: from Late Latin beneficiālis, from Latin beneficium kindness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012