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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When delivering bad news, be succinct and compassionate.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes.com,
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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Cost is $20 per person with proceeds benefiting the club’s charitable causes.—
Pomerado News,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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She was described as being polite, kind, had a nice smile.—
Vladimir Duthiers, Paul LaRosa,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2025
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While former Lakers guard Max Christie gave Pelinka a kind reception, Anthony Davis was the contrary.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 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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And this is clearly a policy that pisses off a lot of the business community, which Trump has been very sympathetic to, and which has rewarded him with a lot of support, especially the second time around.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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Valadao on tariffs Valadao, a dairy farmer deeply involved in trade issues, is sympathetic.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The humane society wrote that the giant bird has sustained injuries to its neck and right wing, and officers with the organizations Humane Officers & Emergency Response Team sprung into action.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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There’s a very humane experience for a lot of people.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At the end of every season, Jim had given generous gifts to the cast and crew.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Benevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benevolent. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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