【Kind】 ,  【kindly】 ,  【benign】 ,  【benignant】  mean having or exhibiting a nature that is gentle, considerate, and inclined to benevolent or beneficent actions and are comparable especially as applied to persons and to their acts and utterances.

【Kind】  and  【kindly】  both imply possession of qualities (as interest in others’ welfare, sympathy, and humaneness) appropriate to man as a rational, sensitive, and social being. The two words are often used interchangeably without loss, but they may be used distinctively,  【kind】  then implying reference to a disposition to be sympathetic and helpful, and  【kindly】  to the expression of a benevolent, sympathetic, or helpful nature, mood, or impulse; thus, he has a  【kind】 , rather than  【kindly】 , heart; he takes a  【kindly】 , rather than  【kind】 , interest in ambitious boys.

【Benign】  (see also FAVORABLE ) and  【benignant】  stress mildness, serenity, and mercifulness more than do  【kind】  and  【kindly】 ; they also often imply graciousness and therefore are more frequently applied to superiors than to equals, when they are used to describe persons or their acts, utterances, or policies.