generosity

English

Etymology

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

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɒs.ɪ.ti/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɑ.sə.ti/, [ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɑ.sə.ɾi]
    • Hyphenation: ge‧ne‧ros‧i‧ty
    • Rhymes: -ɒsɪti

    Noun

    generosity (countable and uncountable, plural generosities)

    1. (uncountable) The trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.
      Synonyms: charity, largesse, liberality, (uncommon) generousness
      Antonym: stinginess
      • 1963, Erik H. Erikson, Childhood and Society:
        We have mentioned generosity as an outstanding virtue required in Sioux life.
      • 2013 June 7, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama is like Apple, Google and Facebook: a once hip brand tainted by Prism”, in The Guardian Weekly‎[1], volume 189, number 1, archived from the original on 13 March 2022, page 18:
        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.
    2. (uncountable) A 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. (countable) A generous act.
      Synonym: beau geste
      • 1873, Reverend M. C. Tyler, Proceedings at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Sage College of the Cornell University:
        May the generosities of the founders of these halls, be rewarded by the fair and holy characters which shall be here formed […] .
      • 1907, O. Henry, The Princess and the Puma, pages 266–275:
        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…
    4. (uncountable) The trait of being abundant, more than adequate.
      He ate everything, despite the generosity of the portions.
    5. (archaic, uncountable) Good breeding; nobility of stock.
      Synonym: nobility

    Derived terms

    Translations

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