generous
Americanadjective
-
liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish: a generous gift.
a generous patron of the arts;
a generous gift.
- Synonyms:
- free, openhanded
- Antonyms:
- selfish
-
free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous.
- Synonyms:
- big, noble, high-minded
- Antonyms:
- mean
-
a generous portion of pie.
- Antonyms:
- meager
-
rich or strong in flavor.
a generous wine.
-
generous soil.
- Synonyms:
- fruitful
- Antonyms:
- barren
adjective
-
willing and liberal in giving away one's money, time, etc; munificent
-
free from pettiness in character and mind
-
full or plentiful
a generous portion
-
(of wine) rich in alcohol
-
(of a soil type) fertile
Related Words
Generous, charitable, liberal, bountiful, munificent all describe persons who give to others something of value, or the acts of such persons. Generous stresses the warm and sympathetic nature of the giver: a generous gift; generous in praise of the work of others. Charitable places stress on both the goodness and kindness of the giver and the indigence or need of the receiver: charitable assistance to people in need; a charitable person, always willing to help those less fortunate than herself. Liberal, in this connection, emphasizes the size of the gift, the largesse and openhandedness of the giver: a liberal contribution to the endowment fund. Bountiful implies effusive, unstinted giving and a sense of abundance or plenty: bountiful and unrestricted support for the museum; a bountiful return for his efforts. Munificent refers to gifts or awards so large and striking as to evoke amazement or admiration: a life income, a truly munificent reward for his loyalty; a munificent contribution, larger by far than any other.
Other Word Forms
- generously adverb
- generousness noun
- overgenerous adjective
- overgenerously adverb
- quasi-generous adjective
- quasi-generously adverb
- supergenerous adjective
- supergenerously adverb
Etymology
Origin of generous
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French genereux, genereus “magnanimous,” and Latin generōsus “of noble birth, excellent,” equivalent to gener- ( see gender 2) + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
Generous people are the ones who give more than is expected of them. It's generous of your friend to take the couch and let you sleep in the bed when you stay over at her place. She didn't have to do that. When you decide to go one step beyond what's expected of you, you're being generous. A generous helping of food is a bigger than expected scoop of mashed potatoes. A generous teacher is one who volunteers to stay after school to help you with your homework. Be generous yourself: don't forget the letter o when you spell the word generous. Just think of it as a generous act, throwing that extra letter in there.
Vocabulary lists containing generous
Positive Words to Describe a Person
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'Tis The Season: Words For Giving
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Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the reasons for his decision to stay, Solovyov lists good pay, "generous holidays" and an "interesting" nature of work.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
The other night, I rubbed chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a generous layer of zest before roasting it as the base for a stew.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
"He has been phenomenally supportive and generous, sharing scripts and things that didn't make it into the movie, sharing his videos of experiences with the family it's based on," he explained.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
China has been recruiting top scientists back home with offers of generous funding, cutting-edge labs, social stability and high standards of living in megacities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
He thinks he’s being generous enough by letting me be part of a swim club in that area.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
