beneficent

American  

[buh-nef-uh-suhnt] / bəˈnɛf ə sənt /

adjective

1. doing good or causing good to be done; conferring benefits; kindly in action or purpose.

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beneficent British  

/ bɪˈnɛfɪsənt /

adjective

1. charitable; generous

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Other Word Forms

• beneficently adverb
• nonbeneficent adjective
• nonbeneficently adverb
• unbeneficent adjective
• unbeneficently adverb

Etymology

Origin of beneficent

First recorded in 1610–20; benefic(ence) + -ent

Explanation

Beneficent is the type of act that helps others. If you're a beneficent person, you probably spend a lot of your time volunteering at soup kitchens or homeless shelters, helping people who are less fortunate than you are. Beneficent shares the same root and sentiment with its fellow adjective, benevolent, which also means something that is good. The two words are so closely related that they also share the same Latin origin. Another related word, benefactor, is someone who gives support to an organization or institution or someone who takes care of another person. Kind, generous, and giving are all synonyms of beneficent.

Example Sentences

At the other end, three nuns from Chicago quietly chatter, favoring passers-by with beneficent smiles.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

I want to have the greatest beneficent impact on the largest number of people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Virgil’s journey toward a beneficent existence starts with a family member’s funeral, continues through another relative’s hospice stay and then achieves fulfillment with our hero’s compassion-driven decision to look after the dead.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2024

When Butler’s Prospero refers to Miranda as “a third of mine own life” while bestowing her on Ferdinand, he seems more resentful than beneficent.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2023

Nature in one of her beneficent moods has ordained that even death has some antidote to its own terrors.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker