Antonyms for benevolent
bəˈnɛv ə ləntbenev·o·lent

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. benevolentadjective

   Antonyms:
   malevolent

2. benevolentadjective

   Having a disposition to do good.

   Antonyms:
   malevolent

3. benevolentadjective

   Antonyms:
   malevolent

4. benevolentadjective

   Antonyms:
   malevolent

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. benevolent

   Human denotes what pertains to mankind, with no suggestion as to its being good or evil; as, the human race; human qualities; we speak of human achievements, virtues, or excellences, human follies, vices, or crimes. Humane denotes what may rightly be expected of mankind at its best in the treatment of sentient beings; a humane enterprise or endeavor is one that is intended to prevent or relieve suffering. The humane man will not needlessly inflict pain upon the meanest thing that lives; a merciful man is disposed to withhold or mitigate the suffering even of the guilty. The compassionate man sympathizes with and desires to relieve actual suffering, while one who is humane would forestall and prevent the suffering which he sees to be possible. Compare MERCY; PITIFUL; PITY.

   See synonyms for BARBAROUS.

   Synonyms:
   benignant, charitable, clement, compassionate, forgiving, gentle, gracious, human, humane, kind, kind-hearted, merciful, pitying, sympathetic, tender, tender-hearted

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:2.3 / 3 votes

1. benevolentadjective

   intending or showing kindness

   "a benevolent society"

   Antonyms:
   ungenerous, uncharitable, unkind, stingy

   Synonyms:
   kindly, philanthropic, sympathetic, beneficent, good-hearted, large-hearted, charitable, freehearted, openhearted, eleemosynary

2. charitable, benevolent, kindly, sympathetic, good-hearted, openhearted, large-heartedadjective

   showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

   "was charitable in his opinions of others"; "kindly criticism"; "a kindly act"; "sympathetic words"; "a large-hearted mentor"

   Antonyms:
   ungenerous, uncharitable, unkind, stingy

   Synonyms:
   kindly, philanthropic, sympathetic, beneficent, likeable, good-hearted, harmonic, large-hearted, likable, charitable, freehearted, appealing, openhearted, eleemosynary

3. benevolent, freeheartedadjective

   generous in providing aid to others

   Antonyms:
   uncharitable, stingy, unkind, ungenerous

   Synonyms:
   kindly, philanthropic, sympathetic, beneficent, good-hearted, large-hearted, charitable, freehearted, openhearted, eleemosynary

4. beneficent, benevolent, eleemosynary, philanthropicadjective

   generous in assistance to the poor

   "a benevolent contributor"; "eleemosynary relief"; "philanthropic contributions"

   Antonyms:
   uncharitable, stingy, unkind, ungenerous

   Synonyms:
   large-hearted, kindly, sympathetic, charitable, good-hearted, philanthropic, eleemosynary, freehearted, openhearted, beneficent

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. benevolentadjective

   Synonyms:
   benign, beneficent, bountiful, charitable, philanthropic

How to use benevolent in a sentence?

1. Janine Hedges:

   We just can't do four more years of this, even though he is not my first choice, Biden is somebody who has a more benevolent side to him. We need that.

2. Confucius, Analects, IV.3:

   It is only the benevolent man who is capable of liking or disliking other men.

3. Larry Johnson:

   A lot of people go there to get the training. They spend a year or two and they go on to do their own thing, there is a better way to run a company with a culture that is benevolent and celebrates their people.

4. Nicolas Chow:

   The four characters on the base say 'jingtian qinmin', which means 'revere heaven and serve thy people,' it really crystallizes the political theory in China whereby heaven bestows its power upon a ruler who is righteous and benevolent.

5. Sanford Levinson:

   It seems foolhardy to assume that the armed state will necessarily be benevolent. The American political tradition is, for good or ill, based in large measure on a healthy mistrust of the state.

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