benign

bih-NINE

meaning in plain English

Something benign won’t hurt you or get worse over time, like a harmless bump or growth.

for example

The test showed the bump on her arm was just benign, so she didn’t need to worry.

A benign thing is like a scratch that doesn’t get infected—it stays small and doesn’t spread. Why do we call a harmless mole benign? Because it’s not trying to take over, just sitting there quietly.