benevolent
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 a verb meaning "to wish." 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 (supposedly) works for the good of the people under its rule.
-
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generositysynonyms: charitable, good-hearted, kindly, large-hearted, openhearted, sympathetickindhaving or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
-
intending or showing kindness“a benevolent society”
-
generous in providing aid to otherssynonyms: freeheartedgenerouswilling to give and share unstintingly
-
generous in assistance to the poor“a benevolent contributor”synonyms: beneficent, eleemosynary, philanthropiccharitablefull of love and generosity
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing benevolent
Looking to build your vocabulary? Then practice this list of 100 "top words" — the kind that used to be tested on the SAT before 2016. If you're a high school student prepping for the SAT, check out Vocabulary.com's Roadmap to the SAT, which focuses on the vocabulary you'll need to ace today's SAT test.
What would happen if the Russian Revolution of 1917 took place on a small English farm? This provocative novella blends fable, satire, and allegory while grappling with some of the twentieth-century's most consequential political ideas.
Here are 68 Tier 2 words that are likely to be found on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) ELA exams for 6th - 11th grades. These words may show up in the reading passages, but you are more likely to encounter them in the test questions and possible answers.