nounnounadjective

le bienveillant

kind

Bienveillant is a French adjective meaning benevolent, kind, well-intentioned, or showing goodwill toward someone.

It describes a person, attitude, comment, or judgment that is supportive and considerate rather than harsh or hostile.

The feminine form is bienveillante , and the plural forms are bienveillants and bienveillantes .

Bienveillant is an adjective formed from:

bien — well, in a good way
veillant — watching over, caring, from veiller , “to watch” or “to look after”

Literally, it suggests someone who “watches over others in a good way.” It agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.

bon — good; broader and less specifically focused on kindness toward others
gentil — nice or kind; often more informal and less refined
aimable — pleasant and friendly in behavior
indulgent — tolerant and forgiving, especially toward someone’s mistakes
compatissant — compassionate and understanding of another person’s suffering
favorable — favorable or supportive, but not necessarily warm or personally kind

malveillant — ill-intentioned or wishing harm; the closest direct opposite
hostile — openly unfriendly or antagonistic
méchant — mean or cruel, often describing behavior or character
malveillant — malicious; stronger and more deliberately harmful than merely being unkind

une attitude bienveillante — a benevolent or supportive attitude
un regard bienveillant — a kind, sympathetic look
une écoute bienveillante — attentive and nonjudgmental listening
faire preuve de bienveillance — to show kindness or goodwill
être bienveillant à l’égard de quelqu’un — to be well-disposed toward someone
une critique bienveillante — criticism expressed with the intention of helping rather than hurting

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Elle nous a adressé un sourire bienveillant.adjective

She gave us a kind smile.

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