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Benign

Gentle and kind-hearted; harmless or not dangerous, especially in medical contexts describing non-cancerous conditions or tumors.

adjective

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Imagine This

Picture a calm nurse gently reassuring a patient: the doctor tells the patient that the growth is benign, meaning it is not cancerous and poses no serious threat. The scene emphasizes safety, gentleness, and reassurance.

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Sounds Like

BIH-nyn

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Looks Like

Looks like benevolent or benign contain the same root bene- meaning good; visually resembles words with a positive meaning such as benevolent.

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Remember This

Benign is the opposite of malignant in medical usage. It also describes a kind, favorable character or effect, not harmful in general usage.

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Other Forms

benignitynoun

benignlyadverb

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Connect With

harmless, innocuous, benevolent, mild, favorable (prognosis)

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Note

In medicine, benign indicates not cancerous. Do not confuse with 'benign neglect,' which is a phrase describing a deliberately relaxed approach; context usually clarifies whether it means harmless or intentional neglect. Avoid using benign to describe something clearly harmful.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The lump was found to be benign, so no aggressive treatment was needed.
Her demeanor was benign, making everyone feel comfortable and at ease.

Synonyms

harmlessinnocuousbenevolentkindmild

Antonyms

harmfulmalignantdangerous

Etymology

From Latin benignus 'kind, favorable,' formed from bene 'well' plus the suffix -gnus; entered English via Old French. The sense combines 'good' and 'not harmful.'

Mnemonic

Be Nice = benign. The word starts with bene- (well/good) and conveys a kind, harmless sense; remember by thinking 'be nice, not harmful.'