ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsBbenign
ISEE/SSAThard
benign
Meaning: gentle and harmless, not threatening
benign in a sentence
How benign is used in real sentences:
The doctor reassured her that the small growth was benign.
The lab results confirmed the mole was benign, so no treatment was needed.
“This correction was benign in its immediate effect—it altered one label—but it exposed how easily confident stories could grow from mismatched wood.”
— from the passage The Archive in Wood
Synonyms for benign
Other words for benign — harmless, mild and innocuous — carry the same meaning.
- harmless
- mild
- innocuous
Antonyms of benign
Words that mean the opposite of benign:
- malignant
- harmful
Where it comes from
From Latin benignus 'kind, well-born'
Word parts
- ben/bene — good, helpful
benign: beni- (good) + gn (born, kind)
Memory hook
BEN-IGN — imagine kind Ben who would never IGNite trouble.