charitable

American  

[char-i-tuh-buhl] / ˈtʃær ɪ tə bəl /

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.

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charitable British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See generous.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of charitable

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

Explanation

Something that's charitable has to do with helping people who need assistance. A charitable act might include volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. A charitable donation is money you give to an organization that helps needy people — and the organization itself is also charitable. You can also use the word to describe, more generally, someone who's kind and generous, or the quality of giving people the benefit of the doubt: "He always had such a charitable opinions of me." Charitable comes from charity, from the Old French charité, "mercy or compassion."

Example Sentences

"Stefan Pildes promoted SantaCon as an event grounded in charitable giving, but instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game," US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Itemizing unlocks access to other tax breaks, like the mortgage-interest deduction and the deduction for charitable contributions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

"People are going hungry," Maria Torres, one of the center's cooks, told AFP, adding she was convinced Maradona would be very happy at the sight of his old home being used for a charitable cause.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

He serves as Founder and CEO of TGR, a multibrand enterprise that includes a charitable foundation, a golf course design company, an events production company and an upscale restaurant, among other holdings.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

It was, to be charitable, a little awkward, and Turner kept sensing that Mrs. Newton was about to stick the steel point of her umbrella into any of the ladies who didn’t behave.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

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