generous
Americanadjective
-
liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish: a generous gift.
a generous patron of the arts;
a generous gift.
- Synonyms:
- free, openhanded
- Antonyms:
- selfish
-
free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous.
- Synonyms:
- big, noble, high-minded
- Antonyms:
- mean
-
a generous portion of pie.
- Antonyms:
- meager
-
rich or strong in flavor.
a generous wine.
-
generous soil.
- Synonyms:
- fruitful
- Antonyms:
- barren
adjective
-
willing and liberal in giving away one's money, time, etc; munificent
-
free from pettiness in character and mind
-
full or plentiful
a generous portion
-
(of wine) rich in alcohol
-
(of a soil type) fertile
Related Words
Generous, charitable, liberal, bountiful, munificent all describe persons who give to others something of value, or the acts of such persons. Generous stresses the warm and sympathetic nature of the giver: a generous gift; generous in praise of the work of others. Charitable places stress on both the goodness and kindness of the giver and the indigence or need of the receiver: charitable assistance to people in need; a charitable person, always willing to help those less fortunate than herself. Liberal, in this connection, emphasizes the size of the gift, the largesse and openhandedness of the giver: a liberal contribution to the endowment fund. Bountiful implies effusive, unstinted giving and a sense of abundance or plenty: bountiful and unrestricted support for the museum; a bountiful return for his efforts. Munificent refers to gifts or awards so large and striking as to evoke amazement or admiration: a life income, a truly munificent reward for his loyalty; a munificent contribution, larger by far than any other.
Other Word Forms
- generously adverb
- generousness noun
- overgenerous adjective
- overgenerously adverb
- quasi-generous adjective
- quasi-generously adverb
- supergenerous adjective
- supergenerously adverb
Etymology
Origin of generous
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French genereux, genereus “magnanimous,” and Latin generōsus “of noble birth, excellent,” equivalent to gener- ( gender 2 ) + -ōsus -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.
Chipotle came under fire in 2024 for dishing out inconsistent portion sizes, but has since recommitted to giving every customer a “generous” helping.
From Los Angeles Times
The reality is we don't have the bandwidth nor the resources, as generous as the American people have been, to do everything for everyone.
From BBC
I have one daughter who is well off, having received a generous bequest through my deceased sister’s will.
From MarketWatch
Harabedian said most of the problems borrowers are facing appear to be due to companies that service mortgages on behalf of lenders, while large institutions such as Bank of America have been more generous.
From Los Angeles Times
The generous state support and academic curiosity that awaited them was a world away from the projects available stateside.
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.
