adj. 1. a. Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless: a benign chemical; benign indifference. b. Of no danger to health; not malignant or disease-causing: a benign tumor. 2. Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable: a policy with benign consequences for the economy. 3. a. Gentle or kind: "a world regarded as the creative product of a benign God" (Nicholas Rescher). [Middle English benigne, from Old French, from Latin benignus; see genə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] be·nignly adv. |
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