benignity
benignity — noun
1. a gentle, gracious quality in someone's character that makes them treat others w
a gentle, gracious quality in someone's character that makes them treat others with warmth and kindness.
The old doctor was loved for the benignity he showed every frightened child.
the benignity someone shows toward others
Feng greeted each new student with the same calm benignity, putting their worries to rest.
with calm benignity for describing a gentle manner
There was a quiet benignity in the way Élise listened to the lonely neighbour for hours.
Years of teaching had filled Mr. Chidi's face with an unmistakable benignity that calmed his pupils.
The villagers remembered their late queen for her benignity toward the poor and the sick.
- kindliness
plainer and more everyday; benignity sounds more formal and literary
- graciousness
stresses courteous warmth toward others, often from someone in a higher position
- gentleness
focuses on mild, soft manner rather than active kindness
文法句型
the benignity of someone
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable and abstract — describes a settled trait of character, not a single moment. Distinguish from sense 2, which names a particular kind action you can count.
常見錯誤
2. a single kind or generous act done to help or comfort another person.
a single kind or generous act done to help or comfort another person.
Among the many benignities Dario offered the refugees was a warm meal each evening.
the benignities someone offers
The nurse's small benignities, like a folded blanket or a kind word, eased the long night.
small benignities for everyday kind acts
Gabriel repaid the stranger's benignity by driving him all the way to the hospital.
Emma's diary listed the small benignities her grandmother showed beggars at the village gate.
- injury
a harmful act done to someone, the opposite kind of deed
文法句型
a benignity
small benignities
用法筆記
Countable in this sense, often plural — a list of separate good deeds. Contrast sense 1, where benignity is an uncountable character trait.
常見錯誤
3. the quality of being safe and causing no harm, often when something first seemed
the quality of being safe and causing no harm, often when something first seemed dangerous.
Tests confirmed the benignity of the chemical, so the factory reopened the next morning.
the benignity of [a thing] for proven harmlessness
Joaquín was reassured by the benignity of the spider once the guide named the harmless species.
The mayor pointed to the benignity of the new traffic rule, which slowed cars near the school.
Behind the storm's benignity that morning lay no real threat to the small fishing boats.
- harmlessness
the plain, direct word; benignity is more formal
- innocuousness
very formal; stresses that something cannot cause offence or harm
- harmfulness
the quality of being able to cause damage
- malignity
very formal; the quality of being deeply harmful or evil
文法句型
the benignity of something
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing or force (a substance, a policy, weather), not a person. Distinguish from sense 1, whose subject is a person's character.
常見錯誤
4. the medical quality of a growth or illness that is not cancer and is unlikely to
the medical quality of a growth or illness that is not cancer and is unlikely to spread or cause serious harm.
The scan results showed the benignity of the lump, so Defne went home greatly relieved.
the benignity of [a growth] in a medical context
Doctors confirmed the benignity of the tumour and ruled out any further treatment.
confirm the benignity of a tumour
The pathologist explained the benignity of the cells to the worried young couple.
Early tests on Ishaan suggested the benignity of the swelling on his neck.
- harmlessness
non-technical word for the same idea outside medicine
- malignancy
the medical term for being cancerous and able to spread
文法句型
the benignity of a tumour
用法筆記
Medical register; subject is a growth, tumour, or cells. The opposite term is 'malignancy'. This sense is rarer than the everyday adjective 'benign'.