benign

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Of a kind and gentle disposition.
2. adj. Showing gentleness and mildness. See Synonyms at kind¹.
3. adj. Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable: a policy with benign consequences for the economy. See Synonyms at favorable.
4. adj. Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless: a chemical additive that is environmentally benign.
5. adj. Medicine Of no danger to health; not recurrent or progressive; not malignant: a benign tumor.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Of a kind disposition; gracious; kind; benignant; favorable.
2. Proceeding from or expressive of gentleness, kindness, or benignity.
3. Favorable; propitious: as, benign planets.
4. Genial; mild; salubrious: applied to weather, etc.
5. Mild; not severe; not violent; not malignant: used especially in medicine: as, a benign medicine; a benign disease. Synonyms Gracious, etc. See benignant.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Kind; gentle; mild.
2. adj. Not posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable; benignant.
2. adj. Exhibiting or manifesting kindness, gentleness, favor, etc.; mild; kindly; salutary; wholesome.
3. adj. Of a mild type or character.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. kindness of disposition or manner
2. adj. pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence
3. adj. not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor)