Root: bene/bon

About this Root

Core idea: Latin bene (“well”) and bonus (“good”) underpin words about kindness, advantage, and favorable outcomes.

How it shows up on the GRE

Contrast this family with mal- (“bad”). On sentence completions, a positive tone often pairs with bene-/bon- words: blessing, gift, goodwill.

Quick hooks from this list

• Benevolent — wishing well.
• Benign — gentle, harmless.
• Beneficiary — one who receives a benefit.