BENIGN Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

benign

adjective

bi-ˈnīn

as in harmless

not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt around campus he's known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benign

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in gentle

not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect basking under a benign sun on a day in early spring

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of benign Where there was once an insistence on an impersonal space, there is now an acknowledgment that the therapist does not have to cloak their identity in a benign anonymity. —

Wendy C. Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026 Within a few decades, interest could absorb closer to two–thirds of annual taxes—and that’s under relatively benign assumptions about interest rates. —

Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026 As a result, the stock market continues to price in a relatively benign outcome, even as some analysts argue that underlying conditions point to a more prolonged disruption. —

Yun Li, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026 Under this system, manufacturers can use limitless amounts of sugar and refined grain products — traditional ingredients — but not a range of benign or beneficial ingredients such as protein concentrates, fiber, flavor extracts, or even carbonation. —

David S. Ludwig, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for benign

Recent Examples of Synonyms for benign

Adjective

Some of these interventions are harmless and many can be quite helpful.

— Hannah Kerman, STAT, 29 Apr. 2026
The new biopic of Jackson from director Antoine Fuqua and the Jackson estate paints the gloved one as the one true victim — a harmless Peter Pan figure whose own childhood was snatched away by a domineering father.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026