See Also: benign(dictionary)
benign(dictionary)
Benign(health)
Benign(medicine)
Benign tumor(health)
benign lymphadenosis(medicine)
benign tetanus(medicine)
benign mesothelioma(medicine)
benign nephrosclerosis(medicine)
benign stupor(medicine)

benign (iou)



benign adjective. ME.
[Old & mod. French benigne from Latin benignus prob. for benigenus, from bene well + -genus born; for the formation cf. MALIGN adjective, for the sense Latin gentilis GENTLE adjective.]
Of a kindly disposition, gracious. ME.
R. D. Laing Assurance that during sleep he is being watched over by benign presences (parents, good fairies, angels).
Manifesting kindly feeling; bland, gentle, mild. LME.
benign neglect lack of attention reflecting confidence in or a favourable disposition towards a person or thing; well-intentioned or beneficial neglect.
R. Macaulay He nodded and was benign, but anyone could see he did not agree. J. Heller Sid was regarding the assault upon Gold with a smiling and benign countenance.
Of a thing: favourable, propitious, salutary. LME.
C. Bront? On whose birth benign planets have certainly smiled. A. J. P. Taylor The weather was uniformly benign. E. F. Schumacher We were very rapidly using up a certain kind of irreplaceable capital asset, namely the tolerance margins which benign nature always provides.
Medicine.
a. Of a medicine: mild in action. M17-M18.
b. Of a disease or tumour: not malignant. M18.
benignly adverb LME.