munificence

American  

[myoo-nif-uh-suhns] / myuˈnɪf ə səns /

Sometimes munificentness

noun

1. the quality of being munificent, or showing unusual generosity.

   The museum's collection was greatly increased by the munificence of the family's gift.

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Etymology

Origin of munificence

First recorded in 1400–50; from Middle French, from Latin mūnificentia; see munificent ( def. )

Explanation

Munificence is the quality of being extremely generous, like showering your girlfriend with lots of expensive gifts and candy on Valentine's Day. Munificence comes from the Latin word, munificentia, which literally means "present-making." Santa Claus shows great munificence every year by bringing presents to children, even if sometimes they've been naughty. Munificence can refer to any kind of generosity or ease in giving. A millionaire who donates time and money to help support the less fortunate shows munificence. Of course, munificence is easy for those with millions!

Example Sentences

Among nomadic peoples especially, such munificence is a matter of survival — anyone who’s crossed the desert on foot knows the importance of water, shelter and food.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2021

By then, L.A. was preening itself over movies’ magnificence and munificence.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2021

For all their munificence, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and the great industrial philanthropists of that era were notable – even in their own day – for avoiding the whole question of economic justice.

From The Guardian • Sep. 8, 2020

That the phones are tied into Nessma, whose cameras also faithfully followed Karoui during his charitable sorties, suggests that his acts of munificence were not entirely selfless.

From Slate • Oct. 15, 2019

But despite this apparent munificence, the meat he’d been killing was very lean, and he was consuming fewer calories than he was burning.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer