charity

¹ American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

PLURAL

charities

1. generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.

   to devote one's life to charity.

2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms.

   She asked for work, not charity.

3. a charitable act or work.

4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution.

   He left his estate to a charity.

5. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

   She looked so hungry that we fed her out of charity.

   Synonyms:

   aid , philanthropy , altruism , almsgiving , quarter , mercy , indulgence , lenity , leniency , clemency , sympathy , pity , benignity , humanity , goodwill , compassion , kindness , kindliness , benevolence , donation , dole , contribution , beneficence , benefaction

   Antonyms:

   malevolence

6. leniency in judging others; forbearance.

   She was inclined to view our selfish behavior with charity.

7. Christian love; agape.

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Charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

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charity British  

/ ˈtʃærɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the giving of help, money, food, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      a charity show

2. 1. an institution or organization set up to provide help, money, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      charity funds

3. the help, money, etc, given to the needy; alms

4. a kindly and lenient attitude towards people

5. love of one's fellow men

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Other Word Forms

• charityless adjective
• overcharity noun
• procharity adjective

Etymology

Origin of charity

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English charite, from Old French charite, cherite, from Latin cāritāt- (stem of cāritās “high price, costliness, dearness, affection, esteem”), equivalent to cār(us) “costly, dear” + -itāt- noun suffix; cherish, Kama, caress; -ity

Example Sentences

“Scammers often target seniors with fraudulent investment opportunities or make deceptive phone calls posing as government agencies or fake charities.”

From MarketWatch

Curtains that once graced the windows of a royal retreat have been turned into Christmas stockings to be auctioned for charity.

From BBC

The "pro-contact culture" within the family court system has been criticised widely by domestic abuse charities.

From BBC

The national charity Young Enterprise has been calling for financial education in schools for years.

From BBC

A homeless charity has said the number of people accessing its services is the highest it has ever been.

From BBC

Related Words

• donation
• endowment
• fund
• philanthropy