charitable

adjective

char·​i·​ta·​ble ˈcher-ə-tə-bəl 

ˈcha-rə-

1

: full of love for and goodwill toward others : benevolent

2

a

: liberal in benefactions to the needy : generous

b

: of or relating to charity

charitable institutions

3

: merciful or kind in judging others : lenient

charitableness noun

charitably

ˈcher-ə-tə-blē 

ˈcha-rə-

adverb

Synonyms of charitable

• philanthropic
• humanitarian
• benevolent

Examples of charitable in a Sentence

She makes a charitable donation every year.

He performs charitable work to help the poor.

They give money to charitable causes.

She has tried to be charitable about her sister's problems.

Half of the class has a chance at passing the test, and that is a charitable estimate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Abu Baker spoke at a 1993 meeting with a Hamas-supporting Muslim Brotherhood committee about hiding the foundation’s terrorist ties to solicit donations under the guise of charitable work, the DOJ found. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026

That’s after excluding wealth from the top 1% of households, subtracting debts and other liabilities, as well as deducting retirement spending, charitable donations, taxes and fees. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

His buyback calculation is based on a regulatory filing Berkshire made in July tied to Chairman Warren Buffett’s charitable stock donation, which disclosed his economic ownership of the company’s Class A share equivalents. — Yun Li, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026

His foundation has missed the legal minimum for charitable giving for four years running. — Gautam Mukunda, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing charitable

• charitable gift

Rhymes for charitable

• uncharitable

Kids Definition

charitable

adjective

char·​i·​ta·​ble ˈchar-ət-ə-bəl 

1

: freely giving money or help to poor and needy persons : generous

2

: given for the needy : of service to the needy

charitable funds

a charitable institution

3

: kindly in judging other people

charitableness noun

charitably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

charitable

adjective

char·​i·​ta·​ble

: of or relating to charity

charitable contributions