Meaning & use

beneficence

noun·Advanced

The quality of being kind and generous, especially through acts that benefit others.

See it in a sentence

The foundation's beneficence funded scholarships for hundreds of students who could not otherwise afford college.

Her beneficence toward the community was evident in the free clinic she opened downtown.

A note on using this word

Beneficence describes acts of active goodwill, not merely a kind disposition; compare 'benevolence,' which is more the feeling itself.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

malevolence

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