Beneficent

mediumPositive tone

buh-NEF-ih-sunt

adjective

Definition

Doing good or causing good to be done; generous and kind

Memory hook

BENE-FICENT: doing GOOD things (bene = good) — generous and kind in actions.

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Word roots

benegood/well(Latin)
facereto do(Latin)

Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.

Examples

The beneficent donor funded scholarships for underprivileged students.
Her beneficent influence transformed the struggling organization.

Test yourself

Fill in the blank with the right word:

The ______ donor funded scholarships for underprivileged students.
Show answer

beneficent

Synonyms

Antonyms

malevolentmaliciousharmfulinjurious

Categories

View all Kindness words

GRE Tip

Beneficent is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "benevolent" or "charitable" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "malevolent".

Read: How to Memorize GRE Words That Actually Stick

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