benign

adjective

be·​nign bi-ˈnīn 

1

a

: of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life

especially : not becoming cancerous

a benign lung tumor

b

: having no significant effect : harmless

environmentally benign

2

: of a gentle disposition : gracious

a benign teacher

3

a

: showing kindness and gentleness

benign faces

b

: favorable, wholesome

a benign climate

benignity

bi-ˈnig-nə-tē 

noun

benignly

bi-ˈnīn-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Benign Shares Its Latin Root With Many Words

Benign comes from Latin benignus, which was formed from bene, meaning "well," and gignere, "to beget." Gignere is the root of such English words as genius and germ.

Synonyms

• anodyne
• harmless
• hurtless
• innocent
• innocuous
• inoffensive
• safe
• white

Examples of benign in a Sentence

… substituting such benign power sources as the hybrid, the fuel cell, and the electric motor in place of … the internal-combustion engine. —Brock Yates, Car and Driver, May 2000

Rather than a benign fairytale creature that delivers babies, the marabou stork is an ugly, viciously predatory African bird that preys on flamingos … —James Polk, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1996

… her pulled-back black hair had gone gray in strange distinct bands, but she seemed much as he remembered her, solid and energetic, with a certain benign defiance. —John Updike, New Yorker, 23 May 1988

When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign. —Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969

We were happy to hear that the tumor was benign.

around campus he's known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benign

Recent Examples on the Web

The interrogation—albeit benign—at secondary inspection signaled the beginning. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025

Pollard revealed that the seemingly benign legislation benefited Goggin’s longtime friend and sometime business partner, Dennis Krieger, who was underwriting a stock sale for a company that made the only devices Goggin’s legislation would finance. —Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2025

And its influence is not always benign: in March 2023, China pressured Honduras to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan in exchange for economic aid. —Roger W. Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2025

Something as benign as a common cold had the potential to be deadly. —Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English benigne, from Anglo-French, from Latin benignus, from bene + gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing benign

• benign neglect
• benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• benign positional vertigo
• benign prostatic hyperplasia
• benign prostatic hypertrophy

Kids Definition

benign

adjective

be·​nign bi-ˈnīn 

1

: of a gentle disposition : gracious

2

: favorable

a benign climate

3

: of a mild type or character

especially : not becoming cancerous

a benign tumor

benignity

-ˈnig-nət-ē 

noun

benignly

-ˈnīn-lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

benign

adjective

be·​nign bi-ˈnīn 

1

: of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life

benign malaria

a benign liver cyst

especially : not becoming cancerous

a benign lung tumor

compare malignant sense 1

2

: having a good prognosis : responding favorably to treatment

a benign psychosis