generosity

generosity — noun

1. A person's natural willingness to share what they have — money, time, kindness,

1.nounB2
Definition

A person's natural willingness to share what they have — money, time, kindness, or help — with others, especially those in need, without expecting anything in return.

Example

Rania's act of generosity surprised everyone when she paid for the whole family's dinner.

act of generosity — common noun phrase

The orphanage survived through the generosity of local businesses and their regular donations.

generosity of + group — prepositional pattern

Common collocations
  • show generosity
  • act of generosity
  • generosity of spirit
  • out of generosity
  • with generosity
  • generosity towards
  • generosity to
Synonyms
  • kindness

    Broader term covering any considerate or friendly behaviour, not necessarily involving giving of money or things.

  • liberality

    More formal; emphasises giving freely and in large amounts, often in a financial context.

  • magnanimity

    Formal; focuses on being noble and forgiving in spirit rather than on material giving.

  • open-handedness

    Informal and concrete; refers specifically to the habit of giving money or possessions freely.

Antonyms
  • stinginess

    The opposite quality — being unwilling to share or give even a little.

  • selfishness

    Broader opposite; caring only about one's own needs rather than others'.

Grammar Patterns

generosity + towards/to + someone

act of + generosity

out of + generosity

generosity of + someone/something

Usage Note

The noun is uncountable in standard use, so it is rarely found in the plural form. The recipient of the generosity is often introduced by the prepositions 'towards' or 'to'.

Common Mistakes

He showed great generous to the poor.
He showed great generosity to the poor.
'generous' is an adjective; the noun form is 'generosity'.
She did it out of generous.
She did it out of generosity.
after a preposition like 'of', the noun form is needed, not the adjective.

Word family

  • generous
    adjectiveB1
  • generously
    adverbB1
  • generousness
    nounC2
  • ungenerous
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a positive attitude towards others, but they differ in scope. 'Generosity' is the most practical: it is about actually giving time, money, or things away. 'Kindness' is broader — you can be kind without giving anything material (a kind word, a smile). 'Charity' suggests organised giving or a charitable institution; it also carries a sense of helping the less fortunate specifically. 'Magnanimity' is the most formal and refers to a noble, forgiving spirit — a person who does not hold grudges. 'Benevolence' is a gentle, general wish to do good, often without specifying concrete action. For example: 'Her generosity paid for his school fees' (concrete giving); 'His kindness made the new student feel welcome' (warm behaviour); 'The charity sent food to the灾区' (organised aid); 'The president showed magnanimity by pardoning his rival' (noble forgiveness); 'The elderly couple's benevolence was felt by everyone in the village' (gentle goodwill).

kindness ↗charity ↗magnanimitybenevolence

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • out of generosity
  • with generosity
  • by the generosity of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Generosity' comes from Latin 'generositas', which originally meant 'nobility of birth' — being born into a family of high social rank. Over time the meaning shifted from noble birth to having a noble character, and by the 1600s it had come to describe the quality of freely giving money, time, or help to others, which was considered a trait of noble-minded people.