generosity

English

Etymology

From Middle English generosite, from Latin generōsitās.

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)

(uncountable) The trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.
Synonyms: charity, largesse, liberality

Antonym: stinginess
- 1963, Erik H. Erikson, Childhood and Society:
  We have mentioned generosity as an outstanding virtue required in Sioux life.
- 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, 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.
(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.
(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 […] .
(uncountable) The trait of being abundant, more than adequate.
(archaic, uncountable) Good breeding; nobility of stock.
Synonym: nobility

Derived terms

Translations

trait of being willing to donate

Arabic: كَرَم (ar) m (karam), سَخَاء m (saḵāʔ), جُود m (jūd)
Egyptian Arabic: كرم m (karam)
Aromanian: bunãtati f
Belarusian: шчо́драсць f (ščódrascʹ)
Bulgarian: ще́дрост (bg) f (štédrost)
Catalan: generositat (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 慷慨 (zh) (kāngkǎi), 寬厚 / 宽厚 (zh) (kuānhòu), 大方 (zh) (dàfang)
Czech: štědrost (cs) f
Danish: generøsitet c, storsind n, storladenhed c
Dutch: gulheid (nl), vrijgevigheid (nl) f, genereusheid
Esperanto: malavaro, grandanimeco
Finnish: anteliaisuus (fi), avokätisyys (fi)
French: générosité (fr) f, bonté (fr) f
Galician: xenerosidade (gl) f
Georgian: სულგრძელობა (sulgrʒeloba), დიდსულოვნება (didsulovneba), გულუხვობა (guluxvoba), ხელგაშიშლობა (xelgašišloba)
German: Großzügigkeit (de) f, Generosität (de) f, Großmut (de) m
Greek: γενναιοδωρία (el) f (gennaiodoría)
Hebrew: נַדְבָנוּת f (nadvanút)
Hungarian: nagylelkűség (hu), bőkezűség (hu)
Irish: mórchroí m, móraigeantacht f, gart m (literary), flaithiúlacht f
Italian: generosità (it) f, bontà (it) f, abnegazione (it) f, magnanimità (it) f
Japanese: 気前 (ja) (きまえ, kimae), 気前のよさ (ja) (きまえのよさ, kimae no yosa), 寛大さ (ja) (かんだいさ, kandai-sa)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: بھخشندھگی (bihxişindihgî)
Latin: largitās f
Occitan: generositat (oc) f
Old Occitan: largetat
Persian: بخشندگی (fa) (baxšandegi), جوانمردی (fa) (javānmardī)
Polish: hojność (pl) f, szczodrość (pl) f
Portuguese: generosidade (pt) f
Romanian: generozitate (ro) f, bunătate (ro)
Russian: ще́дрость (ru) f (ščédrostʹ), великоду́шие (ru) n (velikodúšije)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: велико̀душно̄ст f, дарѐжљиво̄ст

Latin: velikòdušnōst (sh) f, darèžljivōst (sh)
Slovak: štedrosť f
Spanish: generosidad (es) f, dadivosidad f
Swahili: ukarimu (sw)
Swedish: generositet (sv) c
Telugu: సద్వినియోగము (te) (sadviniyōgamu)
Turkish: âlicenaplık (tr), cömertlik (tr)
Ottoman Turkish: جومردلك (cömerdlik), ویركی (vergi)
Ukrainian: ще́дрість f (ščédristʹ)

acting generously

Bulgarian: великодушност f (velikodušnost)
Dutch: gulheid (nl)
Finnish: anteliaisuus (fi)
French: générosité (fr) f
Georgian: სულგრძელობა (sulgrʒeloba), დიდსულოვნება (didsulovneba), გულუხვობა (guluxvoba), ხელგაშიშლობა (xelgašišloba)
German: Großzügigkeit (de) f, Freizügigkeit (de) f
Hebrew: נְדִיבוּת (he) f (n'divút)
Hungarian: bőkezűség (hu)
Italian: generosità (it) f
Korean: 선심(善心) (ko) (seonsim)
Māori: manaakitanga (mi)
Romanian: generozitate (ro) f
Russian: ще́дрость (ru) f (ščédrostʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: велико̀душно̄ст f

Latin: velikòdušnōst (sh) f
Turkish: âlicenaplık (tr), cömertlik (tr)
Ukrainian: ще́дрість f (ščédristʹ)

the trait of being more than adequate

Bulgarian: изобилие (bg) n (izobilie)
Dutch: grootmoedigheid (nl)
Finnish: yltäkylläisyys (fi)
Georgian: სიუხვე (siuxve)
German: Großmut (de) m
Hebrew: נְדִיבוּת (he) f (n'divút)
Hungarian: bőség (hu)
Italian: abbondanza (it) f, magnanimità (it) f
Romanian: abundență (ro) f
Turkish: âlicenaplık (tr), bağışlayıcılık (tr), cömertlik (tr)

good breeding; nobility of stock

Bulgarian: благородство (bg) n (blagorodstvo)
Dutch: edelmoed
Finnish: aatelisuus (fi)
French: générosité (fr) f
Georgian: კეთილშობილება (ḳetilšobileba)
German: Edelmut (de) m
Hungarian: nemesség (hu)
Italian: nobiltà d'animo f
Romanian: noblețe (ro) f
Spanish: generosidad (es) f (rare)
Turkish: cömertlik (tr)

a generous act

Catalan: generositat (ca) f
Dutch: gulheid (nl)
Finnish: anteliaisuus (fi)
French: générosité (fr) f
Georgian: სულგრძელობა (sulgrʒeloba), დიდსულოვნება (didsulovneba), გულუხვობა (guluxvoba)
German: Edelmut (de) m, Großzügigkeit (de) f
Italian: atto (it) di (it) generosità (it) f, atto (it) generoso (it)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: بھخشندھ (bihxişindih)
Portuguese: generosidade (pt) f
Romanian: generozitate (ro) f
Russian: ще́дрость (ru) f (ščédrostʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: велико̀душно̄ст f

Latin: velikòdušnōst (sh) f
Turkish: âlicenaplık (tr), bağışlayıcılık (tr), cömertlik (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Chinese:
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 宽厚 (zh) (kuānhòu)
Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} נדיבות (he)
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 관대 (ko) (gwandae)
Latin: ^{(please verify)} generōsitas