beneficial

adjective

ben·​e·​fi·​cial ˌbe-nə-ˈfi-shəl 

1

: producing good results or helpful effects : conferring benefits (see benefit entry 1 sense 1)

the beneficial effects of regular exercise

insects that are beneficial to your garden

2

: receiving or entitling one to receive advantage, use, or benefit

a beneficial owner of securities

a beneficial interest in an estate

beneficially

ˌbe-nə-ˈfi-sh(ə-)lē 

adverb

beneficialness noun

Synonyms

• advantageous
• benefic
• beneficent
• benignant
• favorable
• friendly
• good
• helpful
• kindly
• profitable
• salutary

Examples of beneficial in a Sentence

He hopes the new drug will prove beneficial to many people.

Regular exercise has many beneficial health effects.

They have a relationship that is beneficial to both of them.

Some insects are harmful but others are beneficial.

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, Kurtzer—who has been prescribing testosterone to women for years—hopes research will one day confirm that TRT is as beneficial as some of her patients claim. —Angela Haupt, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025

There’s little debate that racking up lots of relatively easy aerobic exercise is good for your health, but the question is whether Zone 2 is uniquely beneficial compared to slightly easier or harder workouts. —Alex Hutchinson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

The law requires certain companies to file reports identifying a company's beneficial owners with FinCEN. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Probiotics contain live microorganisms that increase the amount of beneficial microbes in our body, which help fight bad bacteria and keep us healthy. —Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin beneficium favor, benefit — see benefice

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

beneficial

adjective

ben·​e·​fi·​cial ˌben-ə-ˈfish-əl 

: producing results that are good for health and happiness

beneficially

-ˈfish-ə-lē 

adverb

beneficialness noun

Legal Definition

beneficial

adjective

ben·​e·​fi·​cial ˌbe-nə-ˈfi-shəl 

1

: providing benefits or advantages

2

: receiving or entitling one to receive an advantage, benefit, or use

a beneficial shareholder

a beneficial estate

beneficially

-shə-lē 

adverb