Choose the adjective benevolent for someone who does good deeds or shows goodwill. If your teacher collects homework with a benevolent smile, she's hoping that you've done a good job.
Benevolent comes from the Latin bene "well" and volent from the verb "to wish" so you can imagine that this word brings goodness with it. A benevolent society is a charity group organized to serve a community through programs, sponsorships and donations. The expression, benevolent dictatorship, may seem like an oxymoron, but it is a political term for an authoritative government that works for the good of the people under its rule.
