Lady Bountiful

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.

lady bountiful

noun

1. an ostentatiously charitable woman

Word History and Origins

Origin of lady bountiful¹

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.

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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.

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That means Ljuba is someone Lorraine can patronize as Lady Bountiful.

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Just when you think Marnie’s grating, un-self-aware Lady Bountiful act couldn’t get more patronizing, “The Meddler” morphs into something tender, even poignant.

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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.

Read more on Economist