Benign
mediumPositive tonebih-NYN
adjective
Definition
Gentle, harmless, or not serious; not causing harm or danger
Memory hook
BENIGN tumor = good news, it's harmless. BENE (good) + SIGN = a good sign.
Word roots
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The doctor assured her that the tumor was benign and posed no serious health risk.”
“Despite his benign tone, she sensed an underlying sarcasm in his comments.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The doctor assured her that the tumor was ______ and posed no serious health risk.”
Show answer
benign
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Benign is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "harmless" or "innocuous" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "malignant".
Related GRE Words
innocuous
Harmless and unlikely to cause offense or injury
beneficent
Doing good or causing good to be done; generous and kind
philanthropic
Seeking to promote the welfare of others; generous
benevolent
Well-meaning and kindly; generous and charitable
boorish
rude, ill-mannered, and insensitive
contrite
feeling deep remorse for wrongdoing; repentant
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