Standard Lemma guide

benevolence

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /bəˈnɛvələns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B AH0 N EH1 V AH0 L AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Disposition to do good.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • gesture of benevolence
  • show benevolence
  • spirit of benevolence
  • She smiled with benevolence at the children.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Charitable kindness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • His acts of benevolence earned him great respect.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An altruistic gift or act.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A kind of forced loan or contribution levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV in 1473.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, countable, historical, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an act intending or showing kindness and good will

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: benefaction

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: kindness, benignity

6

noun

Meaning 6

an inclination to do kind or charitable acts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: kindness

Narrower terms: charity, brotherly love

7

noun

Meaning 7

disposition to do good

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: malevolence

Broader terms: love

Narrower terms: beneficence

History

Etymology

Circa 1400, original sense “good will, disposition to do good”, Old French benivolence from Latin benevolentia (also directly from Latin), literally “good will”, from bene (“well, good”) + volentia, form of volēns, form of volō (“to wish”), components cognate to English benefit and voluntary, more distantly will (via Proto-Indo-European).

Across languages

Translations

54 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: النزعَة إلى الخير — disposition to do good
  • Bulgarian: доброжела́телност (dobroželátelnost) — disposition to do good
  • Catalan: benevolència — disposition to do good
  • Chinese Mandarin: 仁慈 (réncí) — disposition to do good
  • Chinese Mandarin: 仁 (rén) — disposition to do good
  • Chinese Mandarin: 慈悲 (cíbēi) — disposition to do good
  • Danish: velvilje — disposition to do good
  • Dutch: welwillendheid — disposition to do good
  • Dutch: goede wil — disposition to do good
  • Dutch: gulheid — disposition to do good
  • Finnish: hyväntahtoisuus — disposition to do good
  • French: bienveillance — disposition to do good
  • French: bénévolence — disposition to do good
  • Galician: largueza — disposition to do good
  • German: Gutmütigkeit — disposition to do good
  • German: Mildherzigkeit — disposition to do good
  • Greek: καλοσύνη (kalosýni) — disposition to do good
  • Ancient Greek: φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía) — disposition to do good
  • Hindi: हितैषिता (hitaiṣitā) — disposition to do good
  • Hindi: हितेच्छा (hitecchā) — disposition to do good
  • Hungarian: jóindulat — disposition to do good
  • Icelandic: örlæti — disposition to do good
  • Ido: bonvolo — disposition to do good
  • Irish: dea-mhéin — disposition to do good
  • Japanese: 仁 (jin) — disposition to do good
  • Japanese: 慈悲 (jihi) — disposition to do good
  • Latin: benevolentia — disposition to do good
  • Macedonian: доброна́мерност (dobronámernost) — disposition to do good
  • Macedonian: благонакло́нетост (blagonaklónetost) — disposition to do good
  • Old English: welwillendnes — disposition to do good
  • Polish: benewolencja — disposition to do good
  • Polish: łaskawość — disposition to do good
  • Polish: przychylność — disposition to do good
  • Polish: życzliwość — disposition to do good
  • Polish: dobroć — disposition to do good
  • Portuguese: benevolência — disposition to do good
  • Romanian: bunăvoință — disposition to do good
  • Russian: благожела́тельность (blagoželátelʹnostʹ) — disposition to do good
  • Russian: доброжела́тельность (dobroželátelʹnostʹ) — disposition to do good
  • Russian: доброта́ (dobrotá) — disposition to do good
  • Russian: ми́лость (mílostʹ) — disposition to do good
  • Spanish: benevolencia — disposition to do good
  • Swedish: välvilja — disposition to do good
  • Turkish: hayırseverlik — disposition to do good
  • Turkish: yardımseverlik — disposition to do good
  • Turkish: iyilikseverlik — disposition to do good
  • Turkish: esirgemezlik — disposition to do good
  • Turkish: himmet — disposition to do good
  • Ukrainian: доброзичли́вість (dobrozyčlývistʹ) — disposition to do good
  • Ukrainian: зичли́вість (zyčlývistʹ) — disposition to do good
  • Finnish: anteliaisuus — charitable kindness
  • Greek: αγαθοεργία (agathoergía) — charitable kindness
  • Hungarian: jótékonyság — charitable kindness
  • Ottoman Turkish: مساعده (müsâʼade) — altruistic gift or act