benign

Intermediatezipf 3.51

Pronunciation

/bɪˈnaɪn/(bih-NINE)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

良性的；温和的；无害的

Definition

Gentle and kind in disposition; (of a disease or tumour) not harmful or cancerous; (of climate or conditions) mild and favourable.

Word family

  • benignly/bɪˈnaɪnli/(adv)和善地
  • benignity/bɪˈnɪɡnəti/(n)仁慈

Collocations

  • benign tumour
  • benign neglect
  • benign smile
  • benign influence
  • benign conditions

Examples

  1. 1.The biopsy confirmed the tumour was benign — no treatment was needed. (medical)
  2. 2.What began as benign neglect of the infrastructure eventually led to a catastrophic bridge collapse. (figurative)

Synonyms

  • harmless/ˈhɑːmləs/— not causing harm — simpler
  • innocuous/ɪˈnɒkjuəs/— not harmful or offensive
  • mild/maɪld/— gentle, not severe

Etymology

from Latin "benignus" (kind, generous) — "bene" (well) + "gignere" (to produce) — producing good