beneficiary

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.ɚ.i/ UK /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əɹ.i/ See IPA manual

Freq #19257

Meanings

1

noun
A person who gains an advantage or benefit from something.

Students are the main beneficiaries of the new free transport scheme.
2

noun
A person who receives money or property from a will, trust, or insurance policy.

She named her two children as the beneficiaries of her life insurance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a person who receives money... donee

Opposites

maleficiary

Word family

Forms beneficiaries

Derived forms beneficiaryshipnonbeneficiary

Related forms benefactor benefactress settlor trustee

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

residuary beneficiary
a person entitled to what remains of an estate after debts and specific gifts are paid

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Latin beneficiarius (“enjoying a favor, granted a privilege”) from beneficium (“benefit”), perhaps via or influenced by French bénéficiaire (“beneficiary”). Indirectly, by way of the etymology of the Latin word beneficium, the English word beneficiary ultimately has the same origin as the English word benefactor, its near antonym.

beneficiarius Latin bénéficiaire French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Personal Finance Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# beneficiary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.ɚ.i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əɹ.i/
**Frequency rank:** 19257

## Meanings
1. A person who gains an advantage or benefit from something.
2. A person who receives money or property from a will, trust, or insurance policy.

## Examples
- Students are the main beneficiaries of the new free transport scheme.
- She named her two children as the beneficiaries of her life insurance.

## Antonyms
- maleficiary

## Derived Forms
- beneficiaryship
- nonbeneficiary

## Related Forms
- benefactor
- benefactress
- settlor
- trustee

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: beneficiarius
- Root: bénéficiaire

## Etymology
From Latin beneficiarius (“enjoying a favor, granted a privilege”) from beneficium (“benefit”), perhaps via or influenced by French bénéficiaire (“beneficiary”). Indirectly, by way of the etymology of the Latin word beneficium, the English word beneficiary ultimately has the same origin as the English word benefactor, its near antonym.

## AI Etymology
Beneficiary is from Latin beneficiarius (“enjoying a favor, granted a privilege”) from beneficium (“benefit”), perhaps via or influenced by French bénéficiaire (“beneficiary”). Indirectly, by way of the etymology of the Latin word beneficium, the English word beneficiary ultimately has the same origin as the English word benefactor, its near antonym. Important recorded forms include beneficiarius (Latin) and bénéficiaire (French). Current senses include a person who gains an advantage or benefit from something and a person who receives money or property from a will, trust, or insurance policy. The wider family includes derived forms such as beneficiaryship and nonbeneficiary; related words such as benefactor, benefactress, settlor, and trustee.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Personal Finance
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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