benign
gentle, harmless, or favorable in nature
Word origin: From Latin benignus, kind (bene well plus gignere to beget).
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.
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.
More GRE words starting with B
marked by riotous, unrestrained revelry and drunken festivity
to pester or harass someone persistently
light, playful, and witty banter
to confuse or perplex thoroughly
threatening harm or menacing in a sinister way
to hesitate or refuse to proceed with something
to swell or puff out, or to increase rapidly in amount or size
lacking originality and so dull or commonplace
Questions about “benign”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.