Make Your Point: BENIGN

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pronounce BENIGN:

buh NINE

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

As we check out the mild little word benign, let's recall some related terms that also trace back to the Latin bene, meaning "good or well:"

1. Literally a "speaking well" of someone, a bened______ is a prayer, or a wish for success. (Hint: it's closely related to the name Benedict.)

2. Literally "wishing well," benev_____ people or things are actively kind and helpful toward others.

3. Literally "well found," ben tr_____ anecdotes are made up, but still appropriate: they have a ring of truth to them despite being fictitious.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "benign" traces back to Latin bits that literally mean "well born:" bene, "well;" and genus, "born."

(Why is the G silent? Probably because the word traveled through French on its way to English; French is notorious for its silent letters!)

In general, benign things and people are kind, mild, gentle, or harmless.

And in the field of medicine, benign growths, tumors, and conditions are not cancerous.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a benign smile;" "The message was vague but benign."

Other forms:

The adverb is "benignly."

For a noun, you can pick from "benignancy" (my preference, pronounced "buh NIG nun see"); or "benignity" (pronounced "buh NIG nuh tee"); or "benignness."

The precise opposite of "benign" is "malignant," pronounced "muh LIG nunt." Malignant things and people are evil and harmful, and in the field of medicine, malignant things are cancerous.

There's also a rare alternate adjective to "benign." It's "benignant," pronounced "buh NIG nunt." You might pick it instead of "benign" when you want to contrast things that are benignant and malignant.

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal word "benign" when you need an especially mild or serious-sounding synonym of "kind," "gentle," or "friendly."

You might talk about benign people and their benign eyes, smiles, waves, comments, or questions.

Or, you might talk about benign weather, topics, messages, conversations, interactions, intentions, or functions.

Often, we use "benign" to label things that are harmless in contrast with things that are, in fact, harmful. For example, some of your spam messages are probably benign, urging you to buy products you don't need, while others are harmful, trying to steal your identity.

examples:

"[Around 60] parrot species have a breeding population in a country outside their natural geographical range. Each successful transplant has its own story: some are benign, others a threat to the local wildlife."
— Ryan F. Mandelbaum, Scientific American, 1 July 2023

"'His face was fatherly and benign, and his eyes twinkled with friendship. He was a caller of good mornings, a ceremonious shaker of hands, a jolly man who knew all jokes."
— John Steinbeck, The Pearl, 1945

has this page helped you understand "benign"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "benign" without saying "gentle" or "mild."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "Some (type of thing) simply involves (something fun or harmless), while others are less benign."

Example 1: "Some pranks are silly, involving massive amounts of Post-It notes or playpen balls, while others are less benign."

Example 2: "Some challenges [on TikTok] simply involve doing a dance move, while others are less benign. One infamous challenge that spread among the platform's users encouraged students to steal or destroy school property."
— Mitchell Clark, The Verge, 7 July 2022

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Make Your Point Before & After!

I’ll give you a clue, and you give me a verbal mashup including at least one word or phrase we've studied before.

For example, if I give you "It's someone who meets you at the library to join you in a state of deep, serious, often gloomy thoughtfulness," then you give me "brown study buddy." It's a mashup of "brown study" and "study buddy."

Try this one today: It's the tangled shape that you pretzel yourself into while reaching for things you need, all because you'd rather twist yourself into a Jacob's Ladder or an Eiffel Tower than disturb the sleeping, purring cat who loves to stay plopped in your lap as often as possible.

To reveal the first two hints, highlight the hidden white text.

Hint 1: The number of words in this Before & After is... three.

Hint 2: The first word in this Before & After is... "lap."

Hint 3: Use this term.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of BENIGN is MALIGNANT. But a pretty close opposite of BENIGN is

A. MESSY.
B. MALICIOUS.
C. MANIPULATIVE.

2. Carl Sagan wrote that "The universe seems neither benign nor _____, merely _____ to the concerns of such puny creatures as we."

A. finished .. host
B. ideal .. adaptable
C. hostile .. indifferent

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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