Beneficial for or Beneficial to: What's the Difference? (2024)

If you’ve recently watched a commercial or two in the US, you’ve likely heard that a promoted product is beneficial for your skin, your health, or perhaps your waning energy levels – but is it beneficial “to,” or is it beneficial “for”?

The difference between “beneficial to” and “beneficial for” lies in the preposition that follows the adjective. The phrase “beneficial to” answers “beneficial to whom?,” while “beneficial for” answers “beneficial for what?” You should use the preposition “to” for people or animals and the preposition “for” for objects, ideas, or reasons.

Continue reading to find out more about the prepositions “to” and “for” with the adjective “beneficial,” as well as what these phrases mean and how to use them correctly in your writing.

The Difference Between “Beneficial to” and “Beneficial for”

The meaning of beneficial is simple — at its most basic, it is essentially something that is “good.” Something can be beneficial to a person or living thing (including animals), or something can be beneficial for an object, such as a company.

The easiest way to decide when to use beneficial for or beneficial to is to ask yourself the following questions:

  1. To whom is it beneficial?

OR

  1. For what is it beneficial?

When to Use “Beneficial to”

You’ll often see these prepositions (to and for) used interchangeably, but to do so in conjunction with the term beneficial is incorrect. If you want to show that something is good or advantageous to a person or animal, the correct preposition is “to.” Here are a few example sentences:

  1. It is beneficial to your sister when you help her with her homework.
  2. A daily multivitamin can be beneficial to dogs and people alike.
  3. The new vaccine will be beneficial to many people.

In each of these sentences, the recipient of the benefit is a person or animal. It is incorrect to say that a multivitamin is beneficial for people. Despite the phrase sounding correct, most — if not all — grammar experts will tell you that “to” is the correct preposition in this context.

When to Use “Beneficial for”

There really is not a distinct difference in meaning between the phrases “beneficial to” and “beneficial for.” In both cases, someone or something is receiving something “good.”

The difference pertains more to the object of the benefit. When you use “for” after beneficial, you are communicating that the recipient or object of the benefit is an object, idea, or thing. Remember, you’re answering the question, “beneficial for what?” Here are a few example sentences:

  1. It is beneficial for large companies to invest in small startups.
  2. It is beneficial for certain plants if you place them in direct sunlight, while others need shade.
  3. Eating fish is beneficial for your heart health.

Why This Is

You might be wondering at this point if sentences two and three are correct. The answer is yes. If you are scratching your head, relax! At times, these phrases can be tricky, and you should know that most people will not notice, whether in speaking or writing, that you’ve used the wrong one.

Still, let’s quickly go through why “for” is correct in reference to sentences two and three.

In the second sentence, we used “for” to express a benefit for a living thing, a plant. It may seem contradictory given that earlier we stated that for living things such as people and animals, “to” is the correct preposition.

The reason that, in this context, “for” is correct is because while a plant certainly is living, we most often think of it as an object, different from a person or animal. Therefore, you should use “for” rather than “to.”

In the third sentence, we are speaking of a person’s heart health, but we are not speaking of a person as a whole or a particular individual but, rather, a part of a person’s body, which we would also consider as a “thing.”

It makes more sense to look at “heart health” as answering “beneficial for what” rather than “to whom.”

Beneficial to versus Beneficial for: More Practice

Let’s look at a couple more examples to see if you can identify the correct preposition.

  1. Antioxidants are beneficial <to/for> many reasons, including skin health.
  2. The new tax bill is beneficial <to/for> the economy.
  3. Taking a deep breath is beneficial <to/for> you.
  4. Reading is beneficial <to/for> your vocabulary development.

Remember, ask yourself “beneficial to whom” or “beneficial for what” in determining your answers. If you chose “for” for numbers 1, 2, and 4, you are correct. The only sentence above that requires “to” as the preposition is number 3.

Again, the reason is that it answers “beneficial to whom,” and the object of the benefit in the sentence is “you.” In all of the others, the object is an idea or thing — many reasons, the economy, and vocabulary development.

When It Comes to Your Health, Is It “Beneficial for” or “Beneficial to”?

When it comes to your health, you’ll hear the word “beneficial” quite frequently. And after reading the previous sections, you may already know the answer to whether you should use “beneficial to” or “beneficial for” in reference to your health.

If you are speaking of health in general, such as in “Going for a walk is beneficial for improving overall health,” you’ll want to use the preposition “for.” Because we’re not talking about a particular person but, rather, referencing an object or idea (overall health), the correct preposition is “for.”This article was written for strategiesforparents.com.

You may see a sentence like this: Going for a walk is beneficial for my mom’s cardiovascular health. Despite the fact that we are referencing a specific individual (mom), the object of the benefit is her cardiovascular health. Therefore, “for” is correct.

Prepositions to and for: What’s the Difference?

In nearly every sentence you read or write, you’ll likely find multiple prepositions. While not quite receiving as many accolades as other parts of speech like nouns and verbs, prepositions are vital to writing clear, meaningful sentences in English.

A preposition’s role is to show some relationship in space or time between two nouns — people, places, and things. Most commonly, you will find them following a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun — something that can replace a noun, such as he, she, or it, for example (source).

Understanding “to” as a Preposition

The word “to” is a trickier preposition because it can mean a few different things. To make matters worse, there are three different spellings of the word, all having different definitions (too = in addition; or two = the number).

However, the preposition “to” generally expresses movement toward something or indicates progress toward a goal (source).

The goal can either be a physical space or destination, but it does not have to be. It can also indicate or express a particular purpose, desire, or intention, and you will often find it in between one verb and an infinitive, the base form of a second verb.

It would look like this: VERB + TO + INFINITIVE.

There’s no need to get too caught up in infinitives, but you should understand them in this context as simply part of a verb phrase that expresses the purpose of something (such as a benefit) or to express someone’s opinion about something (source).

When we look at phrases like “beneficial to,” the preposition “to” does not indicate direction or physical space as in other cases but, rather, a purpose, particularly to express that something or someone provides an advantage.

Understanding “for” as a Preposition

The word “for” is another very common preposition that has a few different meanings. We can use it to signify a purpose, similar to “to,” as in “I need to read this book for my Chemistry class.” The word “for” can also function to introduce a person who is to receive something, as in “I’d like to get flowers for my mother.”

The word “for” can also refer to a duration of time, such as “I have been waiting in line for two hours.” Another way to use “for” is to indicate an exchange. An example would be, “I’ll trade you my cupcake for your ice cream.”

Finally, “for” isn’t always a preposition, but it can also act as a conjunction that means “because.” You’ll sometimes find this use in very formal writing and often in literature, especially of the classical variety.

Using the word “for” in conjunction with beneficial is similar to the preposition “to” in that it indicates purpose or movement toward a goal. In differentiating these two phrases, you’ll have to identify what that purpose is and whether it answers “to whom” or “for what.”

We’ll break this down more shortly, but first, let’s dive into the meaning of the word “beneficial” and its various uses and parts of speech.

Parts of Speech: Benefit, Beneficial, and Beneficially

Beneficial for or Beneficial to: What's the Difference? (1)

Quite a few words in the English language can function in multiple different ways and act as various parts of speech, depending on slight spelling changes. The word “beneficial” is just one example.

Benefit: a Noun and a Verb

The word “benefit” means that there is some advantage or aid given. It is a noun — in this context, an idea or thing — but can also act as a verb (an action). The root word of “benefit” comes from the Latin word “bene,” which simply means “good” (source).

Often, you’ll find the word benefit used in conjunction with health benefits that a place of employment provides, including medical insurance. It can also refer to a payment or even a performance by a group hoping to raise money for a cause, such as in “Will you attend the benefit this Thursday to support cancer awareness?”

Below you’ll see a few more examples showing how you may find the word “benefit” used in a sentence. The first two sentences reflect benefit as a noun, while the third shows how “benefit” can operate as a verb.

  1. I receive health benefits through my company.
  2. Exercise provides many different health benefits, including heart health.
  3. The flowers in our backyard would benefit from daily watering.

Beneficial: An Adjective

A simple change in spelling and suffix and you’ll find that benefit becomes beneficial, moving from a noun to an adjective, a word that describes a noun. So, while the meaning of the word is the same, the way you’ll use it in a sentence is a little bit different. Here are a few examples:

  1. There are many beneficial reasons to make healthier lifestyle choices.
  2. Bees are beneficial insects, but you shouldn’t bother them if you don’t want to get stung.

You don’t always need to use either “to” or “for” with the word “beneficial.” The expression can also stand alone as an adjective, describing in the first sentence the reasons for healthier lifestyle choices and, in the second, bees.

Beneficially: An Adverb

A third variation of the word benefit is the adverb, beneficially. Here, you’ll see that there is simply an addition of an -ly suffix to the end of the word, which is a very common suffix you’ll find on many adverbs. Remember, adverbs are simply words that modify or change a verb, adjective, or another adverb (source).

In general, adverbs provide more information about how you do something if it is a verb or describe an adjective in more detail. So, if you consider the word beneficial, changing it to its adverbial form means adding more information or detail to a verb, adjective, or adverb. Here are a couple of examples:

  1. Drinking water with lemon can beneficially aid in staying hydrated and healthy.
  2. The speaker’s presentation beneficially influenced the employee’s opinions of the change he implemented.

In each of the sentences above, “beneficially” functions as an adverb to explain in more detail how the action has occurred. However, it is much more common that you will use either the phrase “beneficial to” or “beneficial for” rather than the word “beneficially” since it sometimes can sound a bit awkward.

Next, we’ll break down each of these phrases with ample examples so that you can better differentiate between the use of each preposition (either to or for).

Beneficial for or Beneficial to: What's the Difference? (2)

Final Thoughts

Prepositions are not always easy to identify and understand, especially when we use them in conjunction with certain words like “beneficial.” Just remember that as long as you can answer the questions “to whom” and “for what,” you’ll most often get it right.

And even if you don’t, don’t worry too much. Even native English speakers make these common mistakes. With time, you’ll find that you may soon be helping someone else understand the difference.

Until then, be sure to get yourself a copy of the Oxford New Essential Dictionary and Dreyer’s English, a style guide. Both will help you in your learning journey.

If you’d like to learn more about prepositions in combination with other words and phrases, take a look at another article that focuses on these nuances, “In the Beginning or at the Beginning.”

Beneficial for or Beneficial to: What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Is it beneficial for or beneficial to? ›

If it's beneficial, then it's good for you — or for something. Studying is beneficial to your grades. Exercise is beneficial to your health.

Is beneficial to health or for health? ›

The correct answer is 'for'. The most appropriate word to fill in the given blank is 'for'. Let's understand the meaning of 'beneficial for': intended to help or benefit someone/something.

How do you use beneficial in a sentence? ›

beneficial
  1. He hopes the new drug will prove beneficial to/for many people.
  2. Regular exercise has many beneficial health effects.
  3. They have a relationship that is beneficial to/for both of them.
  4. Some insects are harmful but others are beneficial.

What is the meaning of beneficial for you? ›

: producing good results or helpful effects : conferring benefits (see benefit entry 1 sense 1) the beneficial effects of regular exercise. insects that are beneficial to your garden. : receiving or entitling one to receive advantage, use, or benefit.

Do you say important to or for? ›

The simple explanation is that "important to" is something you value, while "important for" is something you need, or that will help you in some way. A nice example is: "It is important for you to get well" ~ your life will be improved by returning to health.

What is the word for beneficial to both? ›

Mutually beneficial definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary.

Is it beneficial to take health insurance? ›

Health insurance is a useful tool that can help you meet the probable medical costs. Right from the cost of equipment to the cost of treatment, medicines, and diagnosis, health insurance covers a wide range of expenses and helps you overcome the effects of inflation.

Is it injurious to health or for health? ›

It is a language convention that with the word 'injurious' preposition 'to' is used. Hence we will use 'to' here in the blank.

How is being healthy beneficial? ›

Benefits of healthy living

feeling better mentally – regular exercise can lift your mood and help you feel better. saving money – eating junk food, smoking, and drinking sugary drinks or alcohol are all expensive habits. fewer health problems – living a healthier lifestyle means a lower risk of developing many ...

Can we use beneficial for people? ›

The phrase “beneficial to” answers “beneficial to whom?,” while “beneficial for” answers “beneficial for what?” You should use the preposition “to” for people or animals and the preposition “for” for objects, ideas, or reasons.

What is the verb for beneficial? ›

Word family (noun) benefit beneficiary (adjective) beneficial (verb) benefit (adverb) beneficially.

What to say instead of it is beneficial? ›

Synonyms of beneficial
  • favorable.
  • helpful.
  • good.
  • profitable.
  • advantageous.
  • desirable.
  • satisfying.
  • friendly.

What is another word for beneficial in an essay? ›

What is another word for beneficial?
advantageousgood
positiverewarding
constructivefruitful
helpfulprosperous
usefulvaluable
229 more rows

Which of the following is the best antonym for beneficial? ›

Antonyms
  • disadvantageous.
  • disobedient.
  • bad.

Do we say answer to or for? ›

Phrase “answer to" is used when telling someone a solution. Answer for is used when asking someone for a solution.

When should we use for? ›

We use for with a period of time in the past, present or future. We use since with a point in time in the past. For refers to periods of time, e.g. 3 years, 4 hours, ages, a long time, months, years.

Is it personal to me or for me? ›

'For' is used for saying who has a particular feeling or opinion about something. e.g. For me (always followed by personally) personally, it was a complete disaster. 'To' is used for saying whose opinion, attitude, or knowledge is being referred to.

What is the part of speech for beneficial? ›

BENEFICIAL (adjective) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.

What is a word for mutually beneficial? ›

Definition of symbiosis. as in collaboration. a mutually beneficial relationship The two artists, each with their own style, share a symbiosis that enriches both their individual and collaborative work.

What is it called when someone does something for their own benefit? ›

' Their behavior would be called 'self-serving.

Is it beneficial to buy health insurance early? ›

Buying it early means better financial planning: Buying it early to not only means cheap but makes better financial sense as well. Accidents occur without any warning and an adequate medical cover will ensure that you are covered for emergencies and allow you to invest your hard earned money in long-term investments.

Is health insurance more important than life insurance? ›

Health insurance pays for your medical costs, such as routine care, prescription drugs, emergency care, specialty care and more. Between health and life insurance, health insurance is more important to have first as it can help pay for medical expenses while you are alive.

What are the 10 benefits of insurance? ›

Following are the Benefits of having Life Insurance
  • Life Risk Cover.
  • Death Benefits.
  • Return on Investment.
  • Tax Benefits.
  • Loan Options.
  • Life Stage Planning.
  • Assured Income Benefits.
  • Riders.

Do you prefer tea to coffee? ›

Expert-Verified Answer

When we have to compare two actions or things, we always use preposition "to". So "prefer to" phrase is used rather than "prefer than." So, preposition "than" is wrong and we must use preposition "to." Therefore, the correct sentence is: I prefer tea to coffee.

What does it mean to be healthy or ill? ›

In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health with a phrase that modern authorities still apply. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

What should not do for health? ›

10 Unhealthy Habits You Need to Break Now
  • Not Drinking Enough Water. ...
  • Eating Late at Night. ...
  • Not Getting Enough Exercise. ...
  • Skimping on Sleep. ...
  • Eating Too Much Sodium. ...
  • Choosing Foods Because They "Sound Healthy" ...
  • Eating Lunch at Your Desk. ...
  • Cooking Everything in Olive Oil.
Feb 19, 2013

What are life style benefits? ›

First, a definition: Lifestyle benefits, sometimes referred to as employee perks or employee lifestyle perks, are non-salary benefits given to employees to improve their overall lifestyle and which go above and beyond standard medical, dental, and vision benefits.

What are the benefits of being active? ›

Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits.

What preposition comes after benefit? ›

When speaking of the person or thing receiving benefits, use the preposition to after the plural noun benefits: If such a drug were developed, the benefits to humanity would be immense.

What is another word for beneficial person? ›

valuable. favoring. gainful. good for what ails you. healthful.

What is an adverb for beneficial? ›

beneficially Add to list Share. Definitions of beneficially. adverb. in a beneficial manner. “this medicine will act beneficially on you”

What does beneficial mean the same as or opposite of? ›

beneficial in American English

SYNONYMS 1. salutary, wholesome, serviceable, useful, favorable, profitable. ANTONYMS 1. harmful.

What does beneficial mean in reading? ›

adjective. 1. producing benefits; advantageous; favorable. 2. receiving benefit.

What does not beneficial mean? ›

adjective. un·​beneficial. "+ : not beneficial : harmful.

Is it harmful to or harmful for? ›

The usual preposition to use with harmful is to (not 'for'): ✗ Smoking is harmful for smokers and non-smokers. ✓ Smoking is harmful to smokers and non-smokers.

How do you use beneficial impact in a sentence? ›

Competition by itself has a weakly beneficial impact on productivity growth.

Is important to VS is important for? ›

Saying that something is “important to” someone means that it has personal or emotional significance. Saying that something is “important for” someone suggests that the benefit is practical, not emotional.

What is a sentence for harmful? ›

Many household products are potentially harmful. harmful to somebody/something Exercising in polluted air is harmful to your health. Fruit juices can be harmful to children's teeth.

What is an example for harmful? ›

Harmful is an adjective that comes in handy when you're talking about things that cause injury to someone or damage something. Burning coal can be harmful to the environment, and eating too much candy can be harmful for your teeth. Harmful words can hurt someone's feelings and harmful actions might put them in danger.

What is a word for harmful? ›

adverse, bad, catastrophic, damaging, destructive, detrimental, disadvantageous, disastrous, inimical, noxious, painful, pernicious, risky, ruinous, sinful, toxic, unhealthy, unsafe, baleful, baneful.

Have a beneficial effect on meaning? ›

helpful, useful, or good: The improvement in sales figures had a beneficial effect/influence on the company as a whole.

What does beneficial impact mean? ›

Beneficial effect means a contemporaneous positive effect without any adverse effect. In the event that the overall effect of the proposed action is beneficial, but is also likely to cause some adverse effect, then the proposed action is considered to result in an adverse effect.

What is a synonym for beneficial impact? ›

An advantage or benefit gained from something. positive impact. benefit. advantage. perk.

What is the difference between to me or for me? ›

Basically, FOR me means it benefits you in some way. TO me is more of your personal thoughts on something. So let's use Antonio's last example first: It's an interesting topic TO me–this basically means in my mind or in my thoughts so it's almost like possessive TO me.

What is the meaning of the word for? ›

preposition. Britannica Dictionary definition of FOR. 1. a — used to indicate the place someone or something is going to or toward.

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