benevolent bəˈnɛvələnt adjective
1. showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
2. intending or showing kindness
3. generous in providing aid to others
4. generous in assistance to the poor
The word benevolent has appeared in 126 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 18 in “Gen Z’s Pop Breakouts Danced in Britney Spears’s Footsteps in 2025,” by Lindsay Zoladz. The article argues that Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae and Addison Rae’s music was influenced by Britney Spears:
Thanks in large part to this group of Gen Z stars, the nostalgic specter of Spears seemed to hover over the pop world this year like a glittering, benevolent fairy godmother.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word benevolent in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
If you want a better idea of how benevolent can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.
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Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.
The post Word of the Day: benevolent appeared first on New York Times.




