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

Doctors removed the mass, which turned out to be benign.

—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

2

: of a gentle disposition : gracious

a benign teacher

3

a

: showing kindness and gentleness

benign faces

Most of us like to think of ourselves as benign, decent, nice people.

—Troy Jollimore

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 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.

Synonyms of benign

• harmless
• safe

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

But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay. —Time, 30 Oct. 2025

According to a 2015 Time Magazine story, the tradition of benign pranks began sometime in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States, brought on perhaps as a way to defuse the tensions of economic devastation and the pain of war. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

Canada’s alliance with a relatively benign Washington always entailed some risk. —Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

Ovarian cysts are common and most are benign. —Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 27 Oct. 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

Rhymes for benign

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine
• carbine

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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