There are two meanings but they are both closely tied as you will see: 1) It means to be kind and to do things with pure/genuine/well-meaning intentions. It can imply "generosity" too. "He was a benevolent King who ruled his country well." = "He was a kind/generous King who ruled his country well." "They were never known for their benevolence but, rather, for their ruthless pursuit of wealth." = They were never known for their kindness/generosity/well-meaning intentions but, rather, for their greedy pursuit of wealth. "Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world but his benevolence stands head and shoulders above all others." = Bill Gates might not be the richest man in the world but his kindness/generosity is still far greater than others with similar wealth. ---- 2) A "benevolent" organisation refers to a charity. As you can see from definition (1), the parallels are very clear (as charities tends to be well-meaning and generous by their very nature). Eg. "The Red Cross is a huge benevolent organisation that always strives to help all those it can". = The Red Cross is a huge *charitable/giving/generous/kind* organisation that always strives to help all those it can. --- I hope this helps! Good luck and take care!