Essential Word Roots: Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal

Learn this list of words containing the common word roots bene ("good") and mal ("bad").
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. benediction
    a blessing or ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
    We waited for him to speak, like a congregation expecting the minister’s benediction. Fever 1793
  2. benefactor
    a person who helps people or institutions
    He does just that, becoming a wealthy benefactor of the impoverished, a generous and kind man beyond compare. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age
  3. beneficence
    the quality of being kind or helpful or generous
    The best way you can take advantage of the beneficence of the mentor is to be prepared and follow up on their suggestions. US News (Aug 12, 2016)
  4. beneficent
    doing or producing good
    No thoughtful man can fail to appreciate its beneficent effect upon our institutions and people. Washington Post (Jan 21, 2016)
  5. beneficial
    promoting or enhancing well-being
    Education at any stage of life is beneficial for brain health, from an online course to classes at your local community center or college. Los Angeles Times (Jun 2, 2017)
  6. benefit
    something that aids or promotes well-being
    One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by. The Glass Castle
  7. benevolence
    disposition to do good
    He sometimes wondered if the country had lost its moral center, its sense of benevolence. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream
  8. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
    She smiles down upon them, always the same benevolent smile, and is described as radiant. Cat's Eye
  9. benign
    kind in disposition or manner
    There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore’s face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
  10. dismal
    causing dejection
    People like to predict the future, often a dismal future, but the future is not written. The Guardian (Jun 18, 2017)
  11. maladroit
    not quick or skillful in action or thought
    He had been maladroit, he thought, had lost his presence of mind. Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
  12. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
    The general advice trends toward aiming for a healthy weight, eating nutritious food and getting exercise to prevent health maladies. Washington Times (Apr 4, 2017)
  13. malaria
    a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite
    He fell ill with malaria and nothing the healer concocted saved him. The Color Purple
  14. malcontent
    dissatisfied as toward authority
    He dismissed them as “a malcontent group that is very vocal.” New York Times (Feb 10, 2017)
  15. malefactor
    someone who has committed a crime
    But the emphasis can’t be only on prosecuting those malefactors, or protecting the whistleblowers who reveal their identities. The Guardian (May 24, 2015)
  16. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    His Willy Wonka was gentle and generous but also vaguely malevolent—though only if you were a child bent on misbehaving. Time (Aug 29, 2016)
  17. malfeasance
    wrongful conduct by a public official
    The government would be accused of negligence, incompetence, even malfeasance in its handling of the case. New York Times (Jun 19, 2017)
  18. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    It still surprises me to hear such malice in his voice. Red Queen
  19. malignant
    dangerous to health
    It was not clear whether the lesion was benign or malignant. Reuters (May 24, 2017)
  20. malodorous
    having an unpleasant smell
    Malodorous trash piled up on the sidewalks of Beirut in August after the government closed a main landfill, suspending garbage collection. US News (Sep 1, 2015)
Created on Tue Jun 20 10:04:06 EDT 2017 (updated Tue Jun 20 13:57:22 EDT 2017)

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