adjective
-
(of a person) very generous; bountiful
-
(of a gift) generous; liberal
Related Words
See generous.
Other Word Forms
- munificence noun
- munificently adverb
- munificentness noun
- unmunificent adjective
- unmunificently adverb
Etymology
Origin of munificent
First recorded in 1565–75; back formation from munificence or from Latin mūnificentia “generosity, bountifulness,” equivalent to mūnific(us) “generous, bountiful” ( muni-, combining form of mūnus “service, duty, gift” + -ficus -fic ) + -entia -ence
Explanation
If you give your best friend a bracelet for her birthday, then you’re a good friend. If you give her a diamond bracelet, a racehorse, and an oil well, then you’re a munificent friend, meaning you are very lavish when it comes to giving gifts. (And it’s possible you may also be broke.) If you’re the generous type, you may already know that the word munificent traces back to the Latin word munificus, meaning “generous or bountiful," which in turn originated from the word munus, meaning “gift or service.” Put those two concepts together and you have big-time gift giving on a lavish scale. Use the word munificent to describe instances of over-the-top generosity — think Oprah on a gift-giving binge at Christmastime.
Vocabulary lists containing munificent
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
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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.
Visor-wearing buzzards with farmer’s tans are circling the Saudi-backed league as the Kingdom considers terminating its munificent support of the lavish and comically irrelevant golf concern.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
It’s a joy to see the rest of the series catch up with her munificent excellence in its sophomore year.
From Washington Post • May 11, 2022
California, the Court majority has offered the country a “teasing illusion like a munificent bequest in a pauper’s will.”
From Slate • Dec. 13, 2021
It is the nature of things in a place where space is so scarce that a munificent policy gesture over here so quickly comes to seem like a shaft over there.
From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2021
I did not feel munificent, but thankful, each time he would let me in.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
