1
a
: of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life
especially
: not becoming cancerous
Doctors removed the mass, which turned out to be benign. —
Amy Yurkanin
Amy Yurkanin
b
: having no significant effect : harmless
This chemical is environmentally benign.
There are about 4,000 species of snails worldwide and most are benign.—Bill Heavy
Bill Heavy2
: of a gentle disposition : gracious
a benign teacher
Did you know?
Benign Shares Its Latin Root With Many Words
Benign traces back to the Latin adjective benignus, which was formed from bene, meaning "well," and the verb gignere, "to beget"—that is, "to produce or create." Gignere is also the root of such English words as genius and germ, and even shares distant ancestry with kin. The meanings of benign range from describing an absence of danger or harm to that which shows kindness or is gracious or wholesome.
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
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 information that has been made public shows that the vast majority of UFO reports made by the military go unsolved but the ones that are identified are largely benign in nature.
—Michelle L. Price, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Greene, who spoke to his manager as recently as two days before he was found dead, had surgery scheduled to remove a benign tumor near his lungs in the coming days, Edward said.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
He was scheduled to go in for a procedure to remove a benign tumor near his lung on the day he was found, the outlet said.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The biopsy was benign, but the procedure left my patient unable to sit comfortably for weeks.
—Jordan D. Metzl, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for benign
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Michelle L. Price, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Greene, who spoke to his manager as recently as two days before he was found dead, had surgery scheduled to remove a benign tumor near his lungs in the coming days, Edward said.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
He was scheduled to go in for a procedure to remove a benign tumor near his lung on the day he was found, the outlet said.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The biopsy was benign, but the procedure left my patient unable to sit comfortably for weeks.
—Jordan D. Metzl, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for benign
Cite this Entry
“Benign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benign. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
2
: having a good prognosis : responding favorably to treatment
a benign psychosis
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