magnanimity
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of magnanimity
1300–50; Middle English magnanimite < Latin magnanimitās. See magnanimous, -ity
Explanation
Magnanimous behavior is noble, generous, or unselfish, and to exhibit magnanimity is to be this way. He showed great magnanimity in not pressing charges when I drove his car into the pond. "Accidents happen my friend," he said, and patted me on the back. In Latin, magnus means "great": a magnate is a great man; a magnum is a great big bottle of champagne. Magnanimity is the generous greatness of spirit. When you are being the bigger person, you are behaving with magnanimity. "The supermodel grabbed the magnum of champagne, lifted it to her mouth and drained the bottle. With great magnanimity, her host smiled and offered her another."
Vocabulary lists containing magnanimity
The Declaration of Independence
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Speak Your Mind: Anim
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Brave New World
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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.
See Examples For:
That’s generous and it takes not a small amount of magnanimity to put aside hurt feelings like that.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
But he added: William "will look benevolent. He will look like he is exercising magnanimity."
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Thomas Aquinas named it magnanimity, the stretching of the soul toward great things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Renowned for our imagination, hustle and open-mindedness, Angelenos are called by this disaster to show magnanimity in the face of devastation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
“Shall I rush into town and demand one?” asked Jo, with the magnanimity of a martyr.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
With the Hessians there was some difficulty; hesitation on Landgraf Wilhelm's part; who pities the poor Kaiser, and would fain see him back at Frankfurt, and awaken the Britannic magnanimities for him.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14 by Thomas Carlyle
So all's past, and I am safe: A pox on these fighting masters of mine, to bring me into this danger, with their valours and magnanimities.
From Dryden's Works Vol. 3 (of 18) Sir Martin Mar-All; The Tempest; An Evening's Love; Tyrannic Love by John Dryden
So has chronology been hacked to make loftier his fame, and the glory of Dom Manuel has been a magnet that has drawn to itself the magnanimities of other days and years.
From Figures of Earth by James Branch Cabell
"The new order won't be brought about by idle optimism any more than by prayers, or politics, or private magnanimities."
From The Open Question a tale of two temperaments by Elizabeth Robins
It but struck a still loftier chord in the bosom of the son, and filled him with infinite magnanimities.
From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Herman Melville
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
