charitable
Americanadjective
-
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
-
kindly or lenient in judging people, acts, etc..
charitable in his opinions of others.
- Synonyms:
- mild, considerate, broad-minded, merciful, lenient
- Antonyms:
- intolerant, severe
-
relating to or concerned with charity.
a charitable institution.
adjective
-
generous in giving to the needy
-
kind or lenient in one's attitude towards others
-
concerned with or involving charity
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."
Vocabulary lists containing charitable
Giving Words
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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You're Too Kind! Synonyms for "Generous"
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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.
The couple, who are no longer working royals, are touring Australia in a private capacity and have combined visits to charitable causes with commercial ventures.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 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
People itemize charitable gifts if their total allowable itemized deductions — including donations to qualified charities, mortgage interest, and state and local taxes — exceed the standard deduction.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026
A-Street, a multistage investor backed by the Walton family, has raised $675 million to invest in education, adding to its backers the Lego Foundation, a charitable group and part-owner of Danish toy maker Lego Group.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Some were poor, many were hungry and all were too proud to accept charitable food.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
