philanthropic

adjective

phil·​an·​throp·​ic ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pik 

variants or less commonly philanthropical

ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pi-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by philanthropy : humanitarian

2

: dispensing or receiving aid from funds set aside for humanitarian purposes

philanthropically

ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of philanthropic

• charitable
• humanitarian
• benevolent

Examples of philanthropic in a Sentence

a philanthropic society that has been doing good for over a century

Recent Examples on the Web

In six short years, Rare Beauty, Selena Gomez‘s beauty brand, has raised $30 million toward the star’s philanthropic goal of giving $100 million to mental health causes. —Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026

Yet philanthropic investment is shrinking in relative terms. —Felecia Hatcher, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

Sampson raised well over $1 billion in philanthropic resources alongside her team — leading and closing the inaugural $100 million Unite Forever endowment campaign three years ahead of schedule. —Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026

This program would create a voluntary, philanthropic pathway to fund park infrastructure and maintenance without charging people to park. —Shane Harris, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for philanthropic

• arthroscopic
• barotropic
• cystoscopic
• endoscopic
• gyroscopic
• hygroscopic
• isentropic
• isotopic
• isotropic
• macroscopic
• microscopic
• orthotopic

Kids Definition

philanthropic

adjective

phil·​an·​throp·​ic ˌfil-ən-ˈthräp-ik 

: of, relating to, or devoted to philanthropy : charitable, benevolent

philanthropical

-ˈthräp-i-kəl

adjective