benevolence

noun

bə-ˈnev-lən(t)s How to pronounce benevolence (audio)
Definition of benevolencenext
1
as in kindness
an act of kind assistance self-effacing as well as selfless, he refused all public acknowledgement of his many benevolences to the community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in friendship
kindly concern, interest, or support her benevolence towards her employees was such that she actually let one live in her home temporarily

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tenderness
sympathetic concern for the well-being of others an actress who was admired for her benevolence as for her beauty

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 benevolence These firms often present self-dealing as benevolence, playing to win in ways that erode trust and long-term resilience. — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 That might appear to be pay-it-forward benevolence from Stankoven. — Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 May 2026 Making maritime travel safer for people of all backgrounds and nationalities was another way to uphold this value of universal benevolence. — Amanda Moniz, The Conversation, 12 May 2026 Starlight), a member of the Seven who questions their benevolence. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for benevolence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benevolence
  1. kindness
  2. friendship
  3. tenderness
  4. service
  5. generosity
  6. beneficence
  7. mercy
  8. friendliness
Noun
  • Patience and kindness can go a long way, Henderson says, and Seshadri reminds everyone to extend that respect to the airport staff and your fellow passengers.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Be patient when a grocery store cashier with disabilities rings up your items — kindness can go a long way.
    — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • Her demeaning behavior toward her boyfriend makes the letter writer reconsider their friendship.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Her physical absence changes nothing about the circumstances of our friendship.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of friendship
Noun
  • On my first listen to Nirosta Steel, I was so affected by the tenderness of the music and his voice.
    — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • On screen, Guitarrica’s expressive and angular visage conveys the fright and uncertainty that afflict his character, who is desperate for tenderness.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of tenderness
Noun
  • Edmond and fellow applicant Jessica Thibodeaux attended the meeting, and each addressed the council to discuss their background and interest in civic service.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Ground systems support the constellation and help sustain the positioning, navigation, and timing services used by military forces.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of service
Noun
  • Woolf treats this psychic drama seriously and with great generosity and tenderness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • My response was to remind them that their generosity could have big financial consequences.
    — Liz Weston, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of generosity
Noun
  • The anti-catalog exposed, after the fact of the Bicentennial, the grotesqueries of corporate beneficence and private boosters that had supplemented the government’s project.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Recommitting to Belmont’s core — respect, beneficence and justice — keeps the clinical‑trials enterprise worthy of public confidence.
    — Stephanie Haridopolos, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2026
Definition of beneficence
Noun
  • Davis' family pleaded with the judge for mercy on his behalf, acknowledging the severity of his actions while asking for leniency.
    — Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But there’s gotta be a better way to do this than leave people to the mercies of the market when the market has no mercy.
    — John E. McDonough, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mercy
Noun
  • Everyone is incredibly affable, welcoming guests with friendliness that never feels forced or excessive.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Rice’s reputation as the rare C-suite suit with both taste and talent-friendliness followed him out of Disney to a non-exclusive production and co-financing deal with A24 for both TV and film.
    — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of friendliness

Browse Nearby Words

benefits
benevolence
benevolences
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Benevolence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benevolence. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on benevolence

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about benevolence

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All