generous

[jen-er-uhs]

adjective

1. liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish: a generous gift.

   a generous patron of the arts;

   a generous gift.

   Synonyms: free, openhanded
   Antonyms: selfish

2. free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous.

   Synonyms: big, noble, high-minded
   Antonyms: mean

3. large; abundant; ample.

   a generous portion of pie.

   Synonyms: copious, plentiful
   Antonyms: meager

4. rich or strong in flavor.

   a generous wine.

5. fertile; prolific.

   generous soil.

   Synonyms: fruitful
   Antonyms: barren

generous

/ ˈdʒɛnərəs, ˈdʒɛnrəs /

adjective

1. willing and liberal in giving away one's money, time, etc; munificent

2. free from pettiness in character and mind

3. full or plentiful

   a generous portion

4. (of wine) rich in alcohol

5. (of a soil type) fertile

Other Word Forms

• generously adverb
• generousness noun
• overgenerous adjective
• overgenerously adverb
• quasi-generous adjective
• quasi-generously adverb
• supergenerous adjective
• supergenerously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of generous¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French genereux, genereus “magnanimous,” and Latin generōsus “of noble birth, excellent,” equivalent to gener- ( gender ² ) + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of generous¹

C16: via Old French from Latin generōsus nobly born, from genus race; see _genus

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“There’s no way we can do that,” she says, “We’re really well supported, our supporters are incredibly generous, but there’s no way we can come up with another 90 million dollars.”

Read more on Salon

A First Brands manager described Patrick James as generous, and said he received holiday gift baskets that contained wine, expensive electronics and vouchers for vacations worth thousands of dollars.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2021, around 1,100 employees at one of the company’s factories countered what GM had thought was a generous severance package with a flurry of lawsuits alleging labor and pay violations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Your logic for paying your uncle’s debts is generous, but it doesn’t make sense.

Read more on MarketWatch

With much of the GV70’s content carried over, the product planners could afford to be generous.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• acceptable 
• benevolent 
• big 
• charitable 
• considerate 
• fair 
• good 
• helpful 
• honest 
• hospitable 
• lavish 
• reasonable 
• thoughtful 
• tolerant 
• unselfish 
• willing