magnanimous
Americanadjective
-
generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness.
to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
- Synonyms:
- kindly, charitable, big
-
high-minded; noble.
a just and magnanimous ruler.
-
proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc..
a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
adjective
Related Words
See noble.
Other Word Forms
- magnanimously adverb
- magnanimousness noun
- unmagnanimous adjective
- unmagnanimously adverb
- unmagnanimousness noun
Etymology
Origin of magnanimous
First recorded in 1540–60; from Latin magnanimus “great-souled,” equivalent to magn(us) “great” + anim(us) “spirit, soul, mind” + -us adjective suffix; magn-, -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.
“You all right if I — “ he began before Trump cut him off with a magnanimous, “Sure. Please.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
Napoleon could not have expected such magnanimous treatment from the British.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
The ugliness of the comment prompted Rick Wilson—former Republican strategist, he of the magnanimous Lincoln Project—to step forward.
From Slate • Feb. 12, 2026
Guardiola was probably being magnanimous due to his side's disappointing performance in the derby loss at Old Trafford.
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
I would never have refused anyone who wanted to peek at my answers, I was magnanimous with my candy, and I wasn’t stuck-up.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
