benignly C1 Topic:Describing People US /bəˈnaɪnli/ See IPA manual Freq #194924 Meanings 1 adv In a kind, gentle way. She smiled benignly at the nervous students. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in a kind, gentle way. benignantly Etymology AI details From Middle English benignely; equivalent to benign + -ly. benignely Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # benignly **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /bəˈnaɪnli/ **Frequency rank:** 194924 ## Meanings 1. In a kind, gentle way. ## Examples - She smiled benignly at the nervous students. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: benignely ## Etymology From Middle English benignely; equivalent to benign + -ly. ## AI Etymology Benignly is from Middle English benignely; equivalent to benign + -ly. In present-day use, it means in a kind, gentle way. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown