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Someone who has an abrasive manner is unkind and rude, wearing away at you in an irritating fashion.
An acrid smell or taste is strong, unpleasant, and stings your nose or throat.
An acrimonious meeting or discussion is bitter, resentful, and filled with angry contention.
An affable person is pleasant, friendly, and easy to talk to.
If your behavior or manner is altruistic, you show you care more about other people and their interests than you care about yourself.
Antipathy is a strong feeling of dislike or hostility towards someone or something.
A belligerent person or country is aggressive, very unfriendly, and likely to start a fight.
A benefaction is a charitable contribution of money or assistance that someone gives to a person or organization.
Bigotry is the expression of strong and unreasonable opinions without accepting or tolerating opposing views.
A caustic remark is unkind, critical, cruel, and mocking.
If someone is granted clemency, they are punished less severely than they could have been—they have been shown mercy.
If someone is complaisant, they are willing to please others and do what they want without complaining.
A congenial person, place, or environment is pleasant, friendly, and enjoyable.
When someone is contentious, they are argumentative and likely to provoke a fight.
To decry something is to speak against it and find fault with it.
Something that is deleterious has a harmful effect.
If you say a person’s actions are despicable, you think they are extremely unpleasant or nasty.
If you say something is diabolical, you are emphasizing that it is evil, cruel, or very bad.
Draconian rules and laws are extremely strict and harsh.
If you describe something as heinous, you mean that is extremely evil, shocking, and bad.
An infamous person has a very bad reputation because they have done disgraceful or dishonorable things.
People who are ingenuous are excessively trusting and believe almost everything that people tell them, especially because they have not had much life experience.
Iniquity is an immoral act, wickedness, or evil.
Something innocuous is not likely to offend or harm anyone.
An internecine conflict or quarrel takes place between people who belong to the same group, organization, country, etc.
Something or someone that is maleficent deliberately tries to cause harm or evil.
A malignant thing or person, such as a tumor or criminal, is deadly or does great harm.
If something is noisome, it is extremely unpleasant, especially because it is very dirty or has an awful smell.
Something that is noxious is harmful, extremely unpleasant, and often poisonous.
A perilous situation is highly dangerous or extremely risky.
Something that is pernicious is very harmful or evil, often in a way that is hidden or not quickly noticed.
A pestilence is either an infectious disease that is deadly or an agent of some kind that is destructive or dangerous.
Philanthropy is unselfish support in the form of donating money, work, or gifts to positive social purposes; philanthropy is also overall love for humans in general.
Something that is propitious shows favorable conditions.
Rancor is a feeling of bitter ill will or intense dislike towards another person.
When you ravage something, you completely destroy, wreck, or damage it.
If something is reviled, it is intensely hated and criticized.
Sabotage is the deliberate or intentional destruction or damage of property or equipment in order to defeat or slow down a cause or other endeavor you don’t agree with.
A salubrious place or area is pleasant, clean, healthy, and comfortable to live in.
A salutary experience is beneficial to you since it strengthens you in some way, although it may be unpleasant as you undergo it; this word also refers to promoting good health.
Something vile is evil, very unpleasant, horrible, or extremely bad.
If you vilify people, you write or say bad things about them in an attempt to make them unpopular.
Vitriolic words are bitter, unkind, and mean-spirited.
Vituperative remarks are full of hate, anger, and cruel criticism.
Adj.
benign
bi-NAHYN
Context
A benign, kindly king, who cared more for his subjects than for himself, ruled the tiny kingdom. King Rupert may not have been particularly wise, but his benign, gentle ways endeared him to his people. Everyone held their breath when it was rumored that King Rupert had developed a tumor, but luckily it was diagnosed as benign or harmless. Everyone hoped that the benign and gracious King Rupert would live for a long time.
Quiz:Try again!
What does it mean if someone is benign?
Beneficial Sign Today I sighed with great relief when my doctor told me that my best friend's tumor is benign, a beneficial sign that all will be well with her health.
Examples
The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.
— Carl Sagan, American astronomer, from _Cosmos_
I’d like to note, though, that from his own perspective, he is a sad, maybe even a benign figure, helping the children, trying to get in touch with them. It’s not the fault of ghosts that we are so frightened of them.
—
The New Yorker
The tumor is benign and will require a surgery but not in the immediate future, with doctors telling Graveman it will not worsen despite inflammation. . . . "They say it can't get any worse. It doesn't grow. It doesn't spread."
—
USA Today
The vast, vast majority of these connections are benign: people finding a sense of identity and community when they’re feeling alone or hopeless—[even] about a shared love of an obscure Pokémon, which is wonderful. And yet, these same platforms that we champion for those really either innocent or actually quite virtuous connections also can connect folks around antisocial ideas.
—
The Washington Post
A benign person “brings forth” acts that are “well” regarded in society; she is also kind because has been “brought up well.”
Word Constellation
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Related Words
affable ·
altruistic ·
benefaction ·
clemency ·
complaisant ·
congenial ·
ingenuous ·
innocuous ·
philanthropy ·
propitious ·
salubrious ·
salutary ·
abrasive ·
acrid ·
acrimonious ·
antipathy ·
belligerent ·
bigotry ·
caustic ·
contentious ·
decry ·
deleterious ·
despicable ·
diabolical ·
draconian ·
heinous ·
infamous+ ·
iniquity+ ·
internecine ·
maleficent ·
malignant+ ·
noisome ·
noxious ·
perilous+ ·
pernicious ·
pestilence+ ·
rancor ·
ravage+ ·
revile ·
sabotage+ ·
vile+ ·
vilify ·
vitriolic ·
vituperative ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
benignity
n
→
kindness
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
