Lady Bountiful

American  

noun

plural

Lady Bountifuls, Ladies Bountiful

1. a wealthy lady in George Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem, noted for her kindness and generosity.

2. (sometimes lowercase) a woman of noteworthy generosity or charity.

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lady bountiful British  

noun

1. an ostentatiously charitable woman

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Etymology

Origin of lady bountiful

after a character in George Farquhar's play The Beaux' Stratagem (1707)

Example Sentences

But count on it: The District’s days of playing Lady Bountiful, ostentatiously spending other people’s money on benevolent causes, are numbered.

From Washington Post • Oct. 15, 2021

That she apparently contains multitudes is an especially useful trait in joining the joyful Lady Bountiful of the opening scenes with the mad misanthrope of the later ones.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2020

In 14 lines, she managed to cast America—in reality a raucous young nation built by the brains and brawn of newcomers—as a sort of Lady Bountiful, selflessly extending asylum to the poorest and most wretched.

From Economist • Nov. 7, 2013

She is still its Lady Bountiful, hires the best teachers available, gives free tuition to all students, monthly stipends to those who need them.

From Time Magazine Archive

You are an exaggerated Lady Bountiful, my dear Mrs. Brevoort.

From The Song of the Wolf by Mayer, Frank