generous

adjective

gen·er·ous | \ ˈjen-rəs

, ˈje-nə-\

Definition of generous

1a : liberal in giving : openhanded a generous benefactor

b : marked by abundance or ample proportions wide overhangs and generous verandas— Lewis Mumford : copious a thin salt-and-pepper moustache interrupted by a generous nose— Richard Zabel

c : characterized by a noble or kindly spirit : magnanimous, kindly a generous heart

2 archaic : highborn

Other Words from generous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about generous

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Choose the Right Synonym for generous

liberal, generous, bountiful, munificent mean giving or given freely and unstintingly. liberal suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given. a teacher liberal with her praise generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift. a generous offer of help bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing. children spoiled by bountiful presents munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes. a munificent foundation grant

Examples of generous in a Sentence

The school raised the money through donations from generous alumni. He was generous with both his time and his money. She has always been very generous toward the poor. This restaurant is known for its generous portions. a generous helping of mashed potatoes She has a generous heart. He has generous sympathy for unemployed workers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Spoon a bunch of sweet and tart apple pie filling on top, drizzled it with caramel sauce and go generous with the cinnamon sugar topping. — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, "Insane new Indiana State Fair foods that will complete your summer," 9 July 2018 The crowd at the event was generous with standing ovations, and one of the loudest came when Bill King, the legendary radio-TV announcer and master of ceremonies, walked over an planted a kiss on the Walter A. Brown Championship Trophy. — Bill Van Niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle, "1974-75 Warriors were champions, but their wardrobes were the real MVPs," 9 June 2018 Everyone's been very generous with their time, with their thoughts and with their donations. — Sergio Carmona, Jewish Journal, "Synagogue rolls blessings for Marjory Stoneman Douglas students," 6 June 2018 Epic’s generous revenue terms are a game changer that will allow publishers to invest more into content creation, or pass on savings to the players. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Metro Exodus is skipping Steam for the Epic Games Store, and passing the savings on to you," 28 Jan. 2019 The foragers had a generous food supply, which intrigued the farmers. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 But there’s no reason to suggest that Trump sold more than a couple hundred copies of Spicer’s book, given its sales ranking peak of 2,000 (and that’s a fairly generous estimate). — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Donald Trump is excellent at selling books that trash him; mediocre at selling books that praise him.," 2 July 2018 Repetitive but not redundant, the mixtape’s third single casts Ty as a generous lover in both the bedroom and the glitzy boutiques of Rodeo Drive. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Ty Dolla $ign Isn’t Just a Feature Artist, He’s a Star," 2 July 2018 Stories have emerged in recent days about real-life encounters with the manager — not jaw-dropping anecdotes, but ones that collectively paint a picture of a man who is decent and generous, regardless of whether the cameras are around. — Karla Adam, Washington Post, "Win or lose in the World Cup, England has a national hero in Coach Gareth Southgate," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'generous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.