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GRE vocabulary

benign

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore B words

gentle, harmless, or favorable in nature

Word origin: From Latin benignus, kind (bene well plus gignere to beget).

In a sentence

Benign in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing benign in a sentence.

The tumor was benign, so no further treatment was needed.

What seemed a benign clause in the contract later proved entirely without consequence for either party.

Synonyms
harmlessmildkindlyinnocuous
Antonyms
malignantharmful
Usage & nuance

Using “benign” well

Benign signals harmlessness or mildness, and in medicine the opposite of malignant. Do not confuse it with benevolent, which implies active kindness rather than mere lack of harm.

Common questions

Questions about “benign

Benign (adjective) means gentle, harmless, or favorable in nature
Here is benign used in an example sentence: "The tumor was benign, so no further treatment was needed." Another example: "What seemed a benign clause in the contract later proved entirely without consequence for either party."
Common synonyms for benign include harmless, mild, kindly, innocuous.
Antonyms of benign include malignant, harmful.
Benign groups with harmless, mild, kindly, and innocuous in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms malignant and harmful are frequent traps, and benevolent is a tempting but distinct near-synonym.
Yes. Benign is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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