Definition of benevolent. Meaning of benevolent. Synonyms of benevolent

Here you will find one or more explanations in English for the word benevolent. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word benevolent and, of course, benevolent synonyms and on the right images related to the word benevolent.

Definition of benevolent

Benevolent
Benevolent Be*nev"o*lent, a. [L. benevolens, -entis; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + volens, p. pr. of volo I will, I wish. See Bounty, and Voluntary.] Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. -- Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv. Syn: Benevolent, Beneficent. Usage: Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase ``benevolent labors' turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, ``beneficent intentions' point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while ``benevolent intentions' would only denote a general wish and design to do good.

Meaning of benevolent from wikipedia

- Look up benevolence or benevolent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Benevolence or Benevolent may refer to: Benevolent (band) Benevolence (phrenology)...
- A benevolent dictatorship is a government in which an authoritarian leader exercises absolute political power over the state, but is perceived to do so...
- Benevolent prejudice is a superficially positive prejudice that is expressed in terms of positive beliefs and emotional responses, which are ****ociated...
- The Irish Benevolent Society of London, Ontario is a philanthropic organization founded on March 1, 1877. Its purposes are to provide opportunities for...
- The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868...
- nature, and as the means at my disposal permit". He wrote an essay on "Benevolent Despotism" defending this system of government. Empress Catherine II of...
- Benevolent dictator for life (BDFL) is a title given to a small number of open-source software development leaders, typically project founders who retain...
- self-described "largest muni****l police union in the world" is the Police Benevolent ****ociation of the City of New York that represents 24,000 members of...
- posits that ****ism has two sub-components: "hostile ****ism" (HS) and "benevolent ****ism" (BS). Hostile ****ism reflects overtly negative evaluations and...
- Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a benevolent institution which provided a boarding school education for sons of poor...