philanthropic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of philanthropic
First recorded in 1780–90; philanthrop(y) + -ic
Explanation
Something given to help others is philanthropic. Money, household items, giving your time and energy to a cause — all can be philanthropic contributions. Philanthropic, pronounced "fill-an-THRAW-pick," comes from the Greek word philanthropos "loving mankind, useful to man." Philanthropic organizations work to help people, running their operations by relying on resources donated by people who are able to give. Many charities, museums, universities, cultural centers, and scientific institutions rely on philanthropic support to pay their bills.
Vocabulary lists containing philanthropic
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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'Tis The Season: Words For Giving
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This Week in Words: September 15 - 21, 2018
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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.
First came the veteran British investor James Anderson, who fell in love with Edinburgh and has plowed millions into the club that he views as a philanthropic cultural concern.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, alleges that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman misappropriated his $38 million donations when OpenAI abandoned its original nonprofit and philanthropic mission to become the for-profit giant behind ChatGPT.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Last month, Texas billionaire John Arnold, who co-chairs the philanthropic organization Arnold Ventures, floated the compute-tax idea on X.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Steyer and his wife began writing bigger philanthropic checks and in 2010 took the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of their wealth before they died.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
In 1936 the federal government had spent $33 million on research and development, accounting for 15 percent of the $218 million advanced by all sources, including industry, academia, and philanthropic foundations.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
