DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 be·nev·o·lent /-lənt/
 (a.)慈善的

 Be·nev·o·lent a.  Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. -- Be*nev*o*lent*ly, adv.
 Syn: -- Benevolent, Beneficent.
 Usage: Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase “benevolent labors” turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, “beneficent intentions” point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while “benevolent intentions” would only denote a general wish and design to do good.
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 benevolent
      adj 1: doing or producing good [syn: beneficent, gracious]
      2: intending or showing kindness; "a benevolent society"
      3: having or showing or arising from a desire to promote the
         welfare or happiness of others; "his benevolent smile"; "a
         benevolent nature" [syn: good] [ant: malevolent]
      4: generous in providing aid to others [syn: freehearted]
      5: generous in assistance to the poor; "a benevolent
         contributor"; "eleemosynary relief"; "philanthropic
         contributions" [syn: beneficent, eleemosynary, philanthropic]