Thesaurus: benevolent

Related headwords

Definitions

1. a. Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable.
2. adj. intending or showing kindness
3. adj. showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
4. adj. generous in providing aid to others
5. adj. generous in assistance to the poor
6. Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. -- Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv. Syn. -- Benevolent, Beneficent. Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase "benevolent labors" turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, "beneficent intentions" point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while "benevolent intentions" would only denote a general wish and design to do good.
7. Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting loveto mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness;disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable.-- Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv.
8. j:100 a. intending or showing kindness s. generous in providing aid to others