beneficence

noun

bə-ˈne-fə-sən(t)s How to pronounce beneficence (audio)
Definition of beneficencenext
1
as in contribution
a gift of money or its equivalent to a charity, humanitarian cause, or public institution the town library stays open primarily through beneficences from concerned residents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in kindness
sympathetic concern for the well-being of others a religious leader whose beneficence is felt by all who meet him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 beneficence Moreover, Southern plantation owners carried out a robust propaganda effort to extol the beneficence of their economic system. — Gerry Lanosga, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025 The four bioethical principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice, developed by Beauchamp and Childress, provide a framework for this. — Caroline Petit, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026 In a European women’s football ecosystem that still relies predominantly on the beneficence of men’s football, Kang’s bullishness to put her money where her mouth is naturally entices. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 May 2026 Trump’s pardon beneficence has also shone on former House Republicans in Southern California, notably a pair who each once represented parts of the San Diego area. — David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beneficence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beneficence
  1. contribution
  2. kindness
  3. donation
  4. tenderness
Noun
  • Beyond Hicks’ contributions, Heriberto Hernandez and Owen Caissie hit home runs, while Lopez and Edwards each tallied a hit, while Jakob Marsee ended the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
    — Tyler M. Carmona, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
  • Because money is fungible, by paying a candidate’s bills, a party is essentially handing him cash, undermining any limits on contributions.
    — Barbara McQuade, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of contribution
Noun
  • All of us are invited to choose to become better human beings and to show up at work and in the world with increasing love, kindness, courage and forgiveness.
    — Mikhail Shneyder, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • That instinct to lean into life with curiosity, optimism, and kindness is, perhaps, America's greatest attraction.
    — Divia Thani, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • The study surveyed blood donations for the disease’s key antibody, which is in a class dubbed IgE and specifically attacks a double-sugar molecule called galactose-α-1,3-galactose, also known as alpha-gal.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 July 2026
  • London — Nigel Farage, leader of the populist right-wing Reform UK party, has resigned from parliament and will stand for his seat again in a special election, amid mounting controversy over financial donations.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Definition of donation
Noun
  • These poems acknowledge pain, but identify tenderness in the darker corners of life.
    — Sean Murphy, The Conversation, 25 June 2026
  • Many meatball recipes bind the mixture and add tenderness with eggs and breadcrumbs or bread soaked in milk.
    — Tribune News Service, Denver Post, 24 June 2026
Definition of tenderness

Browse Nearby Words

benefic
beneficence
beneficences
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beneficence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beneficence. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on beneficence

Nglish: Translation of beneficence for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beneficence

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All