1
as in compassionate
having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others
a benevolent willingness to provide veterinary services to low-income families at greatly reduced prices
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in charitable
having or showing a concern for the welfare of others
a benevolent businessman who has donated money and time to helping inner-city youths
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of benevolent
Maybe the Giants were just being benevolent by giving Wilson the majority of his payment sooner.
—
Dan Duggan, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Game theory helps to explain why the world was so stable during the period of globalisation – the international landscape was dominated by a large, predictable and mostly benevolent ‘actor’ (USA) in the context of a host of other less powerful actors.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
But land reform is so fundamental to how the current government took power that no citizen may portray it as anything other than a benevolent campaign that brought fairness and prosperity to China’s long-suffering farmers.
—Ian Johnson, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
In the hospital, the patients are watched by doctors and other staff, whose gaze is not always benevolent.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for benevolent
Dan Duggan, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Game theory helps to explain why the world was so stable during the period of globalisation – the international landscape was dominated by a large, predictable and mostly benevolent ‘actor’ (USA) in the context of a host of other less powerful actors.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
But land reform is so fundamental to how the current government took power that no citizen may portray it as anything other than a benevolent campaign that brought fairness and prosperity to China’s long-suffering farmers.
—Ian Johnson, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
In the hospital, the patients are watched by doctors and other staff, whose gaze is not always benevolent.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for benevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benevolent
Adjective
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Officials expect about 100 prisoners each year will qualify for compassionate release, Buis said.—
Don Thompson,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
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In 2013, Francis garnered headlines for his open-minded stance on homosexuality, a notably compassionate approach compared with the Catholic Church’s historic position on the issue.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2025
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To date, the company has invested roughly $230 million in global charitable programs and partnerships that impact the lives of millions of women, says Lucy Gildea, Mary Kay’s chief brand and scientific officer.—
Haniya Rae,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Harrell describes her daughter as a kind, sweet child who always sought to do what was right.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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What Lee liked best about playing Go-tak, a seemingly tough guy with a kind heart, was bonding with his fellow actors.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This structuring approach leverages the power of philanthropic capital to enable organizations with differing risk and return objectives to invest alongside each other while still achieving their own objectives.—
Keith Ippel,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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The Forbes 400 2024 Philanthropy Breakdown For the fifth year in a row, the most philanthropic member of The Forbes 400 by percentage of net worth donated is hedge fund founder George Soros, who has given away 74% of his fortune.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes,
1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Reddit users in the comments section were sympathetic toward the former bridesmaid.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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So the concern is, how sympathetic are the courts going to be to arguments that an agency doesn't have the personnel or the person power to get through the FOIA backlog?—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The humane society is in the Hickory area, a roughly 55-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Apr. 2025
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Officers then set a humane trap to catch the third Great Dane the next day and took him to the Humane Colorado buddy center to reunite with his friends.—
Brooke Baitinger,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Since then, she’s benefitted from the generous and spot-on counsel of dozens of smart people in government, the media, and in other circles.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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The generous battery keeps podcasts alive for a full travel day, and a ten‑minute quick top‑up grants four extra hours before boarding.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Benevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benevolent. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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