generosity

ge·ne·ros·i·ty
G2E1N1E1R1O1S1I1T1Y4
UK/ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɒs.ɪ.ti/US/ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɑ.sə.ti/US[ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɑ.sə.ɾi]

noun

The trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.

“He ate everything, despite the generosity of the portions.”

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

noungenerosity (countable and uncountable, plural generosities)

plural generosities

  1. uncountableThe trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.

    We have mentioned generosity as an outstanding virtue required in Sioux life.

    1963, Erik H. Erikson, Childhood and Society
    1 more example

    Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.

    2013 June 7, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama is like Apple, Google and Facebook: a once hip brand tainted by Prism”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2022, page 18

    Synonyms: charity, largesse, liberality, generousness · Antonyms: stinginess

  2. uncountableA desire to give or share without expecting payment; charity; an eager willingness to demonstrate openness and empathy or to provide a charitable outlook on something; a desire to share either emotionally or in resources, time, etc.
  3. countableA generous act.

    May the generosities of the founders of these halls, be rewarded by the fair and holy characters which shall be here formed[…].

    1873, Reverend M. C. Tyler, Proceedings at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Sage College of the Cornell University
    1 more example

    Givens took the proffered hand. He held it for a time while he allowed the generosity of his nature to overcome his grief at the loss of Bill…

    1907, O. Henry, The Princess and the Puma, pages 266–275

    Synonyms: beau geste

  4. uncountableThe trait of being abundant, more than adequate.

    He ate everything, despite the generosity of the portions.

  5. archaicuncountableGood breeding; nobility of stock.

    Synonyms: nobility

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.

Opposite

nounA generous act.

Similar

nounGood breeding; nobility of stock.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe trait of being willing to give your money or time

Opposite
Broader

nounacting generously

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latingenerōsitās
  2. Middle Englishgenerosite
  3. Englishgenerosity

From Middle English generosite, from Latin generōsitās, equivalent to generous + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كَرَم, سَخَاء
  • كَرَم (karam)trait of being willing to donate
  • سَخَاء (saḵāʔ)trait of being willing to donate
  • جُود (jūd)trait of being willing to donate
Bulgarian ще́дрост, великодушност
  • ще́дрост (štédrost)trait of being willing to donate
  • великодушност (velikodušnost)acting generously
  • изобилие (izobilie)the trait of being more than adequate
  • благородство (blagorodstvo)good breeding; nobility of stock
Catalan generositat, generositat
  • generositattrait of being willing to donate
  • generositata generous act
Chinese Mandarin 慷慨, 寬厚 /宽厚
  • 慷慨 (kāngkǎi)trait of being willing to donate
  • 寬厚 /宽厚 (kuānhòu)trait of being willing to donate
  • 大方 (dàfang)trait of being willing to donate
Czech štědrost
  • štědrosttrait of being willing to donate
Danish generøsitet, storsind
  • generøsitettrait of being willing to donate
  • storsindtrait of being willing to donate
  • storladenhedtrait of being willing to donate
Dutch gulheid, vrijgevigheid
  • gulheidtrait of being willing to donate
  • vrijgevigheidtrait of being willing to donate
  • genereusheidtrait of being willing to donate
  • gulheidacting generously
  • gulheida generous act
  • grootmoedigheidthe trait of being more than adequate
  • edelmoedgood breeding; nobility of stock
Esperanto malavaro, grandanimeco
  • malavarotrait of being willing to donate
  • grandanimecotrait of being willing to donate
Finnish anteliaisuus, avokätisyys
  • anteliaisuustrait of being willing to donate
  • avokätisyystrait of being willing to donate
  • anteliaisuusacting generously
  • anteliaisuusa generous act
  • yltäkylläisyysthe trait of being more than adequate
  • aatelisuusgood breeding; nobility of stock
French générosité, bonté
  • générositétrait of being willing to donate
  • bontétrait of being willing to donate
  • générositéacting generously
  • générositéa generous act
  • générositégood breeding; nobility of stock
German Großzügigkeit, Generosität
  • Großzügigkeittrait of being willing to donate
  • Generositättrait of being willing to donate
  • Großmuttrait of being willing to donate
  • Großzügigkeitacting generously
  • Freizügigkeitacting generously
  • Edelmuta generous act
  • Großzügigkeita generous act
  • Großmutthe trait of being more than adequate
  • Edelmutgood breeding; nobility of stock
Greek γενναιοδωρία
  • γενναιοδωρία (gennaiodoría)trait of being willing to donate
Hebrew נַדְבָנוּת, נְדִיבוּת
  • נַדְבָנוּת (nadvanút)trait of being willing to donate
  • נְדִיבוּת (n'divút)acting generously
  • נְדִיבוּת (n'divút)the trait of being more than adequate
Hungarian nagylelkűség, bőkezűség
  • nagylelkűségtrait of being willing to donate
  • bőkezűségtrait of being willing to donate
  • bőkezűségacting generously
  • bőségthe trait of being more than adequate
  • nemességgood breeding; nobility of stock
Irish mórchroí, móraigeantacht
  • mórchroítrait of being willing to donate
  • móraigeantachttrait of being willing to donate
  • garttrait of being willing to donate
  • flaithiúlachttrait of being willing to donate
Italian generosità, bontà
  • generositàtrait of being willing to donate
  • bontàtrait of being willing to donate
  • abnegazionetrait of being willing to donate
  • magnanimitàtrait of being willing to donate
  • generositàacting generously
  • atto di generositàa generous act
  • atto generosoa generous act
  • abbondanzathe trait of being more than adequate
  • magnanimitàthe trait of being more than adequate
  • nobiltà d'animogood breeding; nobility of stock
Japanese 気前, 気前のよさ
  • 気前 (kimae)trait of being willing to donate
  • 気前のよさ (kimae no yosa)trait of being willing to donate
  • 寛大さ (kandai-sa)trait of being willing to donate
Korean 선심
  • 선심 (seonsim)acting generously
Latin largitās
  • largitāstrait of being willing to donate
Māori manaakitanga
  • manaakitangaacting generously
Persian بخشندگی, جوانمردی
  • بخشندگی (baxšandegi)trait of being willing to donate
  • جوانمردی (javānmardī)trait of being willing to donate
Polish hojność, szczodrość
  • hojnośćtrait of being willing to donate
  • szczodrośćtrait of being willing to donate
Portuguese generosidade, generosidade
  • generosidadetrait of being willing to donate
  • generosidadea generous act
Romanian generozitate, bunătate
  • generozitatetrait of being willing to donate
  • bunătatetrait of being willing to donate
  • generozitateacting generously
  • generozitatea generous act
  • abundențăthe trait of being more than adequate
  • noblețegood breeding; nobility of stock
Russian ще́дрость, великоду́шие
  • ще́дрость (ščédrostʹ)trait of being willing to donate
  • великоду́шие (velikodúšije)trait of being willing to donate
  • ще́дрость (ščédrostʹ)acting generously
  • ще́дрость (ščédrostʹ)a generous act
Slovak štedrosť
  • štedrosťtrait of being willing to donate
Spanish generosidad, dadivosidad
  • generosidadtrait of being willing to donate
  • dadivosidadtrait of being willing to donate
  • generosidadgood breeding; nobility of stock
Swahili ukarimu
  • ukarimutrait of being willing to donate
Swedish generositet
  • generositettrait of being willing to donate
Turkish âlicenaplık, cömertlik
  • âlicenaplıktrait of being willing to donate
  • cömertliktrait of being willing to donate
  • semahattrait of being willing to donate
  • âlicenaplıkacting generously
  • cömertlikacting generously
  • âlicenaplıka generous act
  • bağışlayıcılıka generous act
  • cömertlika generous act
  • âlicenaplıkthe trait of being more than adequate
  • bağışlayıcılıkthe trait of being more than adequate
  • cömertlikthe trait of being more than adequate
  • cömertlikgood breeding; nobility of stock
Ukrainian ще́дрість, ще́дрість
  • ще́дрість (ščédristʹ)trait of being willing to donate
  • ще́дрість (ščédristʹ)acting generously

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with generosity

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

generosity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generosity

MLA

“generosity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generosity. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “generosity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generosity.

Source: generosity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.