bounteous
Americanadjective
-
giving or disposed to give freely; generous; liberal.
- Synonyms:
- openhanded, munificent, lavish, free-handed, free
adjective
-
giving freely; generous
the bounteous goodness of God
-
plentiful; abundant
Other Word Forms
- bounteously adverb
- bounteousness noun
- overbounteous adjective
- overbounteously adverb
- overbounteousness noun
- unbounteous adjective
- unbounteously adverb
- unbounteousness noun
Etymology
Origin of bounteous
First recorded in 1325–75; late Middle English bo(u)ntevous, from Old French bontieus, bontive (equivalent to bonte “goodness” + -ive, feminine of adjective ending -if ) + -ous adjective suffix, influenced by bounty; -ive, -ous
Explanation
Things that are bounteous are plentiful and generously given. Your friends might celebrate your birthday by bringing you a bounteous armful of flowers. Farmers planting their crops in the spring hope for a bounteous harvest in the summer, and the very best elementary school teachers have bounteous amounts of affection for children. Bounteous things are found in great abundance. The word's original, fourteenth century meaning was "full of goodness," from the noun bounty, or "generosity." The Latin root is bonitatem, or "goodness."
Vocabulary lists containing bounteous
Twelfth Night
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The Tempest
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A Room of One's Own
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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.
I was sitting in the Hummer parked on the lot, racing through its bounteous features.
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025
The crowd participation moments that the star envisaged in the recording studio also came to bounteous fruition.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2024
Bethany: Moira, you could not have possibly missed the bounteous Pepsi product placement in the movie.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024
This British rap tag team is about improbable wealth, bounteous opportunities, living so fast that what’s slipping by is almost as good as what you manage to grab hold of.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2023
“I hear that you have been most free and bounteous, giving your private time to him. What is between you?”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
