intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
Used in a Sentence
benevolent
How to use benevolent in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for benevolent.
Editorial note
No, benevolent dictators are the way to go.
Examples11
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of benevolent gathered in one view.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity; "was charitable in his opinions of others"; "kindly criticism"; "a kindly act"; "sympathetic words"; "a large-hearted mentor"
generous in providing aid to others
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for benevolent.
adjective
intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
adjective
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity; "was charitable in his opinions of others"; "kindly criticism"; "a kindly act"; "sympathetic words"; "a large-hearted mentor"
See also: charitable, kindly, sympathetic, good-hearted, openhearted, large-hearted
adjective
generous in providing aid to others
See also: freehearted
adjective
generous in assistance to the poor; "a benevolent contributor"; "eleemosynary relief"; "philanthropic contributions"
See also: beneficent, eleemosynary, philanthropic
Example sentences
No, benevolent dictators are the way to go.
The biggest problem with Google has been that they've been a "benevolent monarch", more or less.
We can finally sleep well tonight under the FBI's benevolent watch.
"I think municipal governments should be run by benevolent dictators.
My first impression, upon beholding an iPhone in summer 2007, was that it had been dropped to us from the heavens by some benevolent, spacefaring race.
"Actually, I guess I can't imagine that. They don't have the balls to admit that. They did the standard lawyer-over-the-shoulder thing of calling it all this big misunderstanding, and we really should have just trusted them to be more benevolent all along.
In fact, the way the Hackruiters think about Hacker School is a lot like the way we initially thought about YC: if it doesn't make money, it will at least have been a benevolent thing to do.
Not a humanitarian aid mission dispatched from your benevolent head into a world made unbearable by its lack of smartphone apps and productivity software.
I used to think negotiations were simple - just come in with a reasonable, middle of the way set of terms, treat the counter-party as a reasonable, benevolent entity, and everything will work out all right.
One imagines an elf in Santa's workshop, quite appropriate since the benevolent employer is a myth but the unwavering sweatshop labor in the service of fulfilling the bourgeoises' consumerist desires is very real.
It's kind of like a bunch of micro-sized benevolent dictatorships, but the dictator is naturally selected through capitalistic means: successful individuals gather the wealth required to reach this role in society.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use benevolent in a sentence?
No, benevolent dictators are the way to go.
What does benevolent mean?
intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
What part of speech is benevolent?
benevolent is commonly used as adjective.