beneficiary

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "beneficiary" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a person who receives a benefit from a will, trust, or life insurance policy. For example: "My grandmother named me as the beneficiary of her life insurance policy."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The cinema has on the whole been kind to Oscar winners large and small, so it is interesting to note that The Artist has not (yet) been a major beneficiary of the so-called Oscar bounce.

The Guardian - Film

Takkas is said to have been paid by instalments into various accounts, including in the Cayman Islands, intended it is alleged, "to conceal the fact the defendant Jeffrey Webb was the beneficiary of the payment".

The Guardian - Sport

During his brief tenure in the job, George Entwistle had already begun to dismember the bloated structure installed by John Birt, the improbable beneficiary of the Mendips camorra of William Rees-Mogg and Marmaduke Hussey (those are the truly guilty men).

The Guardian - Opinion

The most affluent family in Britain, headed by Major General Gerald Grosvenor, owns 77 hectares (190 acres) of prime real estate in Belgravia, London, and has been a beneficiary of the foreign money flooding in to the capital's soaring property market in recent years.

The Guardian - Business

Saudi Arabia is not the only potential beneficiary of Grayling's entrepreneurial spirit.

The Guardian - Opinion

Had the beneficiary of such largesse from another team been Alejandro Valverde, Davide Rebellin or one of the other pantomime villains of the sport, would the millions of armchair fans have been so quick to anger?

The Guardian - Sport

"He promised fantastic returns but, as is so often the case with unauthorised investment schemes, those who invested ended up with significant losses and the main beneficiary of the scheme was Hope himself.

The Guardian - Business

He also sits on the board of Cooper hospital, which both received a grant and is the indirect beneficiary of two more – one to build housing for its students and the other to DioGenix, which the state authority said moved to Camden to work with Cooper.

The Guardian

Ed Miliband, the beneficiary of that underhand tactic in 2010, needs to make it clear that this should not happen again.

The Guardian - Opinion

Gérin told Mediapart he was not a beneficiary of the trust and said he would be asking for explanations from Le Pen and lawyers.

The Guardian

Meeting "the voice and embodiment of the jazz age, its product and its beneficiary, a popular novelist, a movie scenarist, a dweller in the gilded palaces", the reporter found instead, to his distinct hilarity, that Fitzgerald was "forecasting doom, death and damnation to his generation".

The Guardian - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing legal or financial documents, use "beneficiary" to clearly designate the individual or entity entitled to receive benefits from a will, trust, or insurance policy. Always specify the full name and identifying details of the "beneficiary".

Common error

Avoid using "beneficiary" in contexts where the advantage is indirect or not formally designated. Use other more general words like "recipient" or "receiver" instead.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "beneficiary" is as a noun. It refers to a person or entity that receives benefits, advantages, or proceeds, as demonstrated in the Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

47%

Formal & Business

30%

Science

23%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "beneficiary" is a grammatically correct and frequently used noun that identifies the recipient of a benefit, often in formal or legal settings. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and widespread usage. It is most commonly found in News & Media and Formal & Business contexts. While alternative words like "recipient" or "heir" can be used, "beneficiary" provides a specific and clear designation, as per Ludwig examples. Remember to use "beneficiary" when there is formal entitlement of advantages, like on insurance policies and last wills.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

recipient

Focuses on the act of receiving something, similar to "beneficiary" but more general.

heir

Specifically refers to someone who inherits property or a title.

inheritor

Similar to "heir", but can also refer to inheriting abstract qualities or responsibilities.

donee

Someone who receives a gift or donation.

grantee

An individual or entity that receives a grant, often for a specific purpose.

awardee

Someone who receives an award or prize.

benefactor

A person who gives benefit to others (opposite meaning, be careful using it).

gain

General word to define a type of advantage, can be both material and immaterial.

advantage

General word to define a type of benefit.

payee

One to whom money is paid.

FAQs

How is "beneficiary" used in legal contexts?

In legal contexts, "beneficiary" refers to the person or entity designated to receive assets or benefits from a trust, will, insurance policy, or other legal arrangement. The "recipient" is legally entitled to these benefits according to the terms of the document.

What's the difference between a "beneficiary" and a "recipient"?

While both terms refer to someone who receives something, "beneficiary" typically implies a formal or legal entitlement, such as in a will or insurance policy. "Recipient" is a more general term for someone who receives something, like a "gift recipient".

What's the role of a "beneficiary" in a trust?

In a trust, the "beneficiary" is the person or entity for whose benefit the trust was created. The trustee manages the assets of the trust for the benefit of the "beneficiary", following the terms outlined in the trust document. The "trustee" has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the "beneficiary".

What are some synonyms for "beneficiary"?

Synonyms for "beneficiary" include "recipient", "heir", "inheritor", "donee", and "grantee", depending on the specific context. Consider also "awardee" or "payee".