beneficiary
- 01 C1 Advanced
a person who receives money or property from a will, a trust, or an insurance policy.
a person or entity named to receive assets or payouts from a legal instrument, such as a will, trust, or insurance policy.
Simple“He was named as the sole beneficiary of his uncle's large estate.”
In context“The primary beneficiary of the trust was the deceased's daughter, with secondary provisions made for several local charities.”
UsageCommonly used with the preposition 'of'.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
anyone who gets an advantage or profit from something.
a person or group that derives an advantage or profit from a specific situation, policy, or event.
Simple“Small businesses were the main beneficiaries of the new tax laws.”
In context“While the trade agreement was intended to help farmers, the largest corporations emerged as the ultimate beneficiaries of the policy shift.”
Teacher's tipIn academic writing, this term is often used to describe groups affected by social or economic changes.
“The amount of an orphan's pension depends on the social security contributions the deceased made during their lifetime and the age of the beneficiary.”
“This year’s beneficiaries are a more modest outfit: Cwmbran Celtic, just relegated from Wales’s second tier.”
From Latin beneficiarius (“enjoying a favor, granted a privilege”) from beneficium (“benefit”), perhaps via or influenced by French bénéficiaire (“beneficiary”). Indirectly, by way of the etymology of the Latin word beneficium, the English word beneficiary ultimately has the same origin as the English word benefactor, its near antonym.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.