Word Study
HYPHEN
COUNT
CIDE DICTIONARY
OXFORD DICTIONARY
DEVIL DICTIONARY
THESAURUS
ROGET THESAURUS
generous
CIDE DICTIONARY
generous, a. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.].
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [1913 Webster]"The generous and gravest citizens." [1913 Webster]
- Exhibiting those qualities which are popularly reregarded as belonging to high birth; noble; honorable; magnanimous; spirited; courageous. [1913 Webster]
- Open-handed; free to give; not close or niggardly; munificent; as, a generous friend or father. [1913 Webster]
- Characterized by generosity; abundant; overflowing; as, a generous table. Swift. [1913 Webster]
- Full of spirit or strength; stimulating; exalting; as, generous wine.
Syn. -- Magnanimous; bountiful. See Liberal.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
generous, adj.
1 giving or given freely.
2 magnanimous, noble-minded, unprejudiced.
3 a ample, abundant, copious (a generous portion). b (of wine) rich and full.
1 giving or given freely.
2 magnanimous, noble-minded, unprejudiced.
3 a ample, abundant, copious (a generous portion). b (of wine) rich and full.
Derivative
generosity n. generously adv. generousness n.
Etymology
OF genereus f. L generosus noble, magnanimous (as GENUS)
DEVIL DICTIONARY
generous
adj. Originally this word meant noble by birth and was rightly applied to a great multitude of persons. It now means noble by nature and is taking a bit of a rest.THESAURUS
generous
abounding, abundant, accommodating, affable, affluent, agreeable, all-sufficing, almsgiving, altruistic, amiable, ample, aplenty, beneficent, benevolent, benign, benignant, big, bighearted, blooming, bottomless, bounteous, bountiful, broad, bursting, bursting out, capacious, charitable, chivalrous, complaisant, compliant, comprehensive, conciliatory, considerate, copious, cordial, countless, creative, decent, diffuse, disinterested, effuse, eleemosynary, elevated, epidemic, exalted, exhaustless, expansive, extensive, extravagant, exuberant, fair, fat, fecund, fertile, flourishing, flush, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving, free, freehanded, freehearted, friendly, fructiferous, fruitful, full, galore, genial, giving, good, gracious, great, great of heart, greathearted, handsome, hearty, helpful, heroic, high, high-minded, honest, hospitable, humane, humanitarian, idealistic, in plenty, in quantity, indulgent, inexhaustible, kind, kindhearted, kindly, knightly, large, largehearted, lavish, lenient, liberal, lofty, long-suffering, longanimous, lush, luxuriant, magnanimous, many, maximal, much, multitudinous, munificent, neighborly, noble, noble-minded, numerous, obliging, open, open-handed, openhanded, openhearted, opulent, overflowing, overindulgent, overpermissive, patient, permissive, philanthropic, placable, plenitudinous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, pregnant, prevailing, prevalent, princely, prodigal, productive, profuse, profusive, proliferous, prolific, rampant, receptive, replete, rich, rife, riotous, running over, seminal, spacious, sparing, stintless, sublime, superabundant, swarming, teeming, thoughtful, thriving, tolerant, tolerating, uberous, ungrudging, unprejudiced, unresentful, unrevengeful, unselfish, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting, voluminous, warm, warmhearted, wealthy, welcoming, welfare, welfare statist, welfarist, well-found, well-furnished, well-provided, well-stocked, wholesale, wide, willingROGET THESAURUS
generous
Liberality
N liberality, generosity, munificence, bounty, bounteousness, bountifulness, hospitality, charity, liberal, free, generous, charitable, hospitable, bountiful, bounteous, handsome, unsparing, ungrudging, unselfish, open handed, free handed, full handed, open hearted, large hearted, free hearted, munificent, princely, overpaid, handsome is that handsome does.Philanthropy
N philanthropy, humanity, humanitarianism universal benevolence, endaemonism, deliciae humani generis, cosmopolitanism utilitarianism, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, social science, sociology common weal, socialism, communism, Fourierism, phalansterianism, Saint Simonianism, patriotism, civism, nationality, love of country, amor patriae, public spirit, chivalry, knight errantry, generosity, philanthropist, endaemonist, utilitarian, Benthamite, socialist, communist, cosmopolite, citizen of the world, amicus humani generis, knight errant, patriot, philanthropic, humanitarian, utilitarian, cosmopolitan, public- spirited, patriotic, humane, large-hearted, chivalric, generous, pro bono publico, pro aris et focis, humani nihil a me alienum puto, omne solum forti patria, un bien fait n'est jamais perdu.Disinterestedness
N disinterestedness, generosity, liberality, liberalism, altruism, benevolence, elevation, loftiness of purpose, exaltation, magnanimity, chivalry, chivalrous spirit, heroism, sublimity, self-denial, self-abnegation, self-sacrifice, self-immolation, self-control, stoicism, devotion, martyrdom, suttee, labor of love, disinterested, unselfish, self-denying, self-sacrificing, self- devoted, generous, handsome, liberal, noble, broad-minded, noble-minded, high-minded, princely, great, high, elevated, lofty, exalted, spirited, stoical, magnanimous, great-hearted, large-hearted, chivalrous, heroic, sublime, unbought, unbribed, uncorrupted, non vobis solum.For further exploring for "generous" in Webster Dictionary Online