philanthropic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of philanthropic
First recorded in 1780–90; philanthrop(y) + -ic
Explanation
Something given to help others is philanthropic. Money, household items, giving your time and energy to a cause — all can be philanthropic contributions. Philanthropic, pronounced "fill-an-THRAW-pick," comes from the Greek word philanthropos "loving mankind, useful to man." Philanthropic organizations work to help people, running their operations by relying on resources donated by people who are able to give. Many charities, museums, universities, cultural centers, and scientific institutions rely on philanthropic support to pay their bills.
Vocabulary lists containing philanthropic
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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'Tis The Season: Words For Giving
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This Week in Words: September 15 - 21, 2018
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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 members began holding meetings in September and will continue through February 2027, backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, a philanthropic organization, and Invest in Our Future, which is affiliated with it, the document said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The repeated assertions at the top of the prospectus that “our co-founders have each pledged to dedicate 80% of their personal equity in Anthropic to philanthropic causes” are effectively meaningless.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Even earlier in 2005, Google announced that it would commit 1% of its profits and equity toward its philanthropic vision through Google.org, a division of the company rather than a separate foundation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
In the oral history, Draper discussed his philanthropic strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
This was the Rockefeller Foundation, which soon would supplant every other source as Ernest Lawrence’s preeminent philanthropic sponsor.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
