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- ( gender 2 ) + -ōsus -ous
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.
That kind of collaboration isn’t guaranteed — you can’t enforce meaningful consultation — so it was generous of Brett to approach it that way.
From Salon
The Court’s original decision rested, in part, on the premise that Musk’s generous equity stake before his revamped pay package already aligned his interests with those of shareholders, rendering additional incentives unnecessary.
From Barron's
The executive order will take away much of creditors’ leverage to get a quick and generous deal in an eventual restructuring of the debt.
From Barron's
Investment experts have debated the 4% rule for years — some argue it’s too generous and that people can live on much less.
From MarketWatch
A generous mound of hummus, swirled with the back of a spoon.
From Salon
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.
