philanthropist
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of philanthropist
First recorded in 1720–30; philanthrop(y) + -ist
Explanation
A philanthropist is a person who gives money or gifts to charities, or helps needy people in other ways. Famous examples include Andrew Carnegie and Bill & Melinda Gates. In English, the -ist suffix describes a person who does a particular action. A philanthropist practices philanthropy. Philanthropists are wealthy people with a generous nature and a concern for human welfare. Philanthropy is from Late Latin philanthrōpia, from Greek, from philanthrōpos "humane, kind," from the prefix phil- plus anthrōpos "man, mankind."
Vocabulary lists containing philanthropist
All You Need is Love: Amor and Phil
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Giving Words
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We the People: Anthrop
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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.
See Examples For:
The Aberdeen-based businessman and philanthropist Sir Ian Wood has died aged 84, his family has announced.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
A philanthropist or employer may decide to donate to the accounts at any time, meaning the child could get an unexpected contribution.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Bill Gates told Congress that Jeffrey Epstein discovered that he had had affairs during his marriage and tried to leverage that information against the billionaire philanthropist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
By email, Chopra wrote that he was glad that philanthropist Barnaby Marsh had introduced them in person.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
Because of contacts he’d made in the States with the Mellon family—wealthy heirs of Pittsburgh banker and philanthropist Andrew Mellon—he quickly headed to the town of Deschapelles, in the lower Artibonite Valley.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
His plan would leave that role to corporations and private philanthropists instead.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
For example, philanthropists are allowed to donate stock directly to accounts, the Treasury Department announced last week.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
In 2025, Spiegel was among business leaders and philanthropists who helped form the Department of Angels, a group that aims to help L.A.’s fire recovery efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Ted Turner created CNN in 1980, revolutionizing the way America, and the world, got their news, and then went on to become one of the most prominent business leaders and philanthropists of his era.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Billionaire philanthropists donate their entire fortunes to fund efforts that bring Fixers to impoverished nations, making certain that every human on the planet in need is able to receive treatment.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
