generosity

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableapproving

   Willingness to give money, time or help to others without expecting much in return.

   Grammar: Uncountable: her generosity, not a generosity.

   Patterns

   • generosity to someone
   • thank someone for their generosity

   The town was moved by the generosity of its neighbors after the flood.

   We thank you for your generosity in supporting the school.

   His generosity to strangers surprised everyone.

2. 2noununcountableapproving

   Kindness in judging others or in being forgiving, rather than being petty.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase generosity of spirit.

   Patterns

   • generosity of spirit
   • with generosity

   She showed great generosity of spirit by forgiving her rival.

   The coach praised the team with real generosity.

   He met criticism with generosity and calm.

3. 3noununcountable

   The fact of being larger or more plentiful than expected.

   Grammar: Applies to amounts: the generosity of the portions.

   Patterns

   • the generosity of something

   Guests were amazed by the generosity of the portions.

   The generosity of the budget allowed for extra staff.

   The generosity of the seats made the flight pleasant.

Common combinations

show generosity

The donor showed great generosity to the library.

abuse someone's generosity

He abused her generosity by borrowing money and never paying it back.

generosity of spirit

Her generosity of spirit made her popular.

overwhelmed by generosity

The family was overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.

thanks to the generosity of

The park was built thanks to the generosity of local donors.

Synonyms and how they differ

kindness

Kindness is wider and includes gentle behavior, while generosity centers on giving.

charity

Charity usually means giving to people in need, whereas generosity can be toward anyone.

liberality

Liberality is formal and old-fashioned for freely giving.

benevolence

Benevolence is a wish to do good, often by someone powerful, and sounds more distant.

Opposites

Word family

generous adjective

willing to give freely, or larger than usual

generously adverb

in a giving way

ungenerous adjective

not willing to give or forgive

generosities noun

rare plural meaning acts of giving

Commonly confused: generosity or generality?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “generosity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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