From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbenevolentbe‧nev‧o‧lent /bəˈnevələnt/ adjective KINDkind and generous A benevolent uncle paid for her to have music lessons. a benevolent smile► see thesaurus at kind —benevolence noun [uncountable] —benevolently adverb
Examples from the Corpus
benevolent• Deep down inside, you see, I still believed that life was basically benevolent.• The integration of state and society favoured a benevolent and expansive concept of the role of the state.• Despite the fear abductees have experienced, the Greys are benevolent, Brown said.• Work / family programs are typically benevolent in intent but difficult to justify in business terms.• a benevolent, kindly man• Arthur Jaffe was not a benevolent man at the best of times.• Instead of yelling, try a benevolent silence.• He smiled in a benevolent sort of way when he said this.• money for benevolent workOrigin benevolent (1400-1500) Latin bene “well” + volens (present participle of velle “to wish”) 