charitable

[char-i-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. generous in donations or gifts to relieve the needs of indigent, ill, or helpless people, or of animals.

   a charitable man giving much money to feed people experiencing food insecurity.

   Synonyms: benevolent, bountiful, liberal, beneficent
   Antonyms: selfish

2. kindly or lenient in judging people, acts, etc..

   charitable in his opinions of others.

   Synonyms: mild, considerate, broad-minded, merciful, lenient
   Antonyms: intolerant, severe

3. relating to or concerned with charity.

   a charitable institution.

charitable

/ ˈtʃærɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. generous in giving to the needy

2. kind or lenient in one's attitude towards others

3. concerned with or involving charity

Other Word Forms

• charitably adverb
• charitableness noun
• noncharitable adjective
• noncharitableness noun
• noncharitably adverb
• overcharitable adjective
• overcharitableness noun
• overcharitably adverb
• pseudocharitable adjective
• pseudocharitably adverb
• quasi-charitable adjective
• quasi-charitably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of charitable¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, equivalent to charit(e) charity + -able -able

Synonym Study

See generous.

Example Sentences

As Williams moves forward, he anticipates sharing lessons learned from the situation during his charitable work.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Most filers save money by taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing deductions, which can include charitable donations and medical expenses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Hospices has vineyard holdings all over Burgundy, and a wine auction held there each November raises funds for a variety of charitable causes, including the town’s modern hospital.

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Johnson had been introduced to Sothea by a New York acquaintance who saw the heiress as a potential donor to the various charitable ventures the Cambodian man was involved in.

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Repeatedly, he compares Garland’s Fund to bigger charitable organizations, like the Rockefeller Foundation, and shows that with a minuscule fraction of the funding, Garland’s Fund touched at least as many lives.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• considerate 
• forgiving 
• gracious 
• magnanimous 
• thoughtful 
• tolerant