- in a kind, gracious, or gentle manner:Kit smiled benignly and told them to wait and see.I reacted far too forcefully to a very benignly stated criticism, but that was because I was frustrated.
- in a positive, favorable, or auspicious way:The trail begins benignly enough, but gains elevation unevenly, with surprisingly steep sections throughout.Laws once thought to operate benignly in women's favor have in time come to be seen as instead impeding their opportunity to participate in and contribute to society.
- in a way that is not malignant: This procedure is most commonly performed in men with benignly enlarged prostate glands.Candida, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, for the most part lives benignly on our skin and mucous membranes.
