What Does Benevolence Mean?

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What does benevolence mean?

Definitions for benevolencebəˈnɛv ə lənsbenev·o·lence

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word benevolence.

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. benevolencenoun

   disposition to do good

2. benevolencenoun

   an inclination to do kind or charitable acts

3. benevolence, benefactionnoun

   an act intending or showing kindness and good will

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 3 votes

1. benevolencenoun

   disposition to do good

2. benevolencenoun

   charitable kindness

3. benevolencenoun

   an altruistic gift or act

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Benevolencenoun

   Etymology: benevolentia, Lat.

   1. Disposition to do good; kindness; charity; good will.

   Grasp the whole worlds of reason, life, and sense,In one close system of benevolence. Alexander Pope, Essay on Man.

   2. The good done; the charity given.3. A kind of tax.

   This tax, called a benevolence, was devised by Edward IV. for which he sustained much envy. It was abolished by Richard III. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. benevolence

   Benevolence is the quality of being kind, generous, and goodwill towards others, often characterized by actions of charity, selflessness and desire to promote happiness and welfare of others. It is a virtue that encourages acts of kindness and altruistic behavior.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Benevolencenoun

   the disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness

2. Benevolencenoun

   an act of kindness; good done; charity given

3. Benevolencenoun

   a species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely represented as a gratuity

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Benevolence

   ben-ev′ol-ens, n. disposition to do good: an act of kindness: generosity: a gift of money, esp. for support of the poor: (Eng. hist.) a kind of forced loan or contribution, levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV. in 1473.—adj. Benev′olent, charitable, generous, well disposed to.—adv. Benev′olently. [Through Fr. from L. benevolentia.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Benevolence

   the name of a forced tax exacted from the people by certain kings of England, and which, under Charles I., became so obnoxious as to occasion the demand of the Petition of Rights (q. v.), that no tax should be levied without consent of Parliament; first enforced in 1473, declared illegal in 1689.

Matched Categories

1. • Kindness
   • Love

Usage in printed sourcesFrom:

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How to pronounce benevolence?

1. AlexUS EnglishDavidUS EnglishMarkUS EnglishDanielBritishLibbyBritishMiaBritishKarenAustralianHayleyAustralianNatashaAustralianVeenaIndianPriyaIndianNeerjaIndianZiraUS EnglishOliverBritishWendyBritishFredUS EnglishTessaSouth African

How to say benevolence in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of benevolence in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of benevolence in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of benevolence in a Sentence

1. Saadi Shirazi:

   Whosoever hath not knowledge, and benevolence, and piety knoweth nothing of reality, and dwelleth only in semblance.

2. Eli Steele:

   That word is not too strong. It's killing us now. I say every day, I hope that whites somehow begin to get the message to stop this notion that your benevolence, your virtue signaling is somehow gonna help black America achieve equality in American life. The opposite is true. It's gonna keep us down. You reduce the standards everywhere, you reduce the standards thereby saying, ‘We have no faith in you. You're inferior. We'll suspend the SAT exam in universities. We won't count it anymore because blacks don't do well on it.’ We either stand up like men and women and take our place in this world or we don’t.

3. Adam Smith:

   It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own neccessities but of their advantages.

4. John Updike:

   Government is either organized benevolence or organized madness; its peculiar magnitude permits no shading.

5. Proverb:

   If charity cost nothing and benevolence caused no heartache, the world would be full of philanthropists.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

benevolence#10000#44359#100000

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNethttp://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=benevolence
2. ^ Wiktionaryhttps://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Benevolence
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionaryhttps://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=benevolence
4. ^ ChatGPThttps://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionaryhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benevolence
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionaryhttps://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=benevolence
7. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopediahttps://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Benevolence
8. ^ Usage in printed sourceshttps://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=benevolence

Translations for benevolence

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

• النزعة إلى الخيرArabic
• доброжела́телностBulgarian
• benevolènciaCatalan, Valencian
• shovívavostCzech
• godgørenhedDanish
• GutmütigkeitGerman
• φιλανθρωπίαGreek
• bonvolemoEsperanto
• benevolenciaSpanish
• خیر خواهیPersian
• hyväntahtoisuusFinnish
• bénévolence, bienveillanceFrench
• dea-mhéinIrish
• कृपाHindi
• bonvoloIdo
• örlætiIcelandic
• 仁, 慈悲Japanese
• benevolentiaLatin
• welwillendheidDutch
• velviljeNorwegian
• benevolênciaPortuguese
• bunăvoințăRomanian
• ми́лость, доброта́, благожела́тельность, доброжела́тельностьRussian
• välviljaSwedish
• நன்மைTamil
• 仁Chinese

Get even more translations for benevolence »

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