English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 6 votes
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generous
Generous (Latin genus, a race) primarily signifies having the qualities worthy of noble or honorable birth; hence, free and abundant in giving, giving freely, heartily, and self-sacrificingly. As regards giving, generous refers rather to the self-sacrificing heartiness of the giver, liberal to the amount of the gift; a child may show himself generous in the gift of an apple, a millionaire makes a liberal donation; a generous gift, however, is commonly thought of as both ample and hearty. A munificent gift is vast in amount, whatever the motive of its bestowal. One may be free with another’s money; he can be generous only with his own. Disinterested suggests rather the thought of one’s own self-denial; generous, of one’s hearty interest in another’s welfare or happiness. One is magnanimous by a greatness of soul (Latin magnus, great, and animus, soul) that rises above all that is poor, mean, or weak, especially above every petty or ignoble motive or feeling pertaining to one’s self, and thus above resentment of injury or insult; one is generous by a kindness of heart that would rejoice in the welfare rather than in the punishment of the offender.
Antonyms:
avaricious, close, covetous, greedy, ignoble, illiberal, mean, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, petty, rapacious, stingySynonyms:
bountiful, chivalrous, disinterested, free, free-handed, free-hearted, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, noble, open-handed, open-hearted
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.1 / 8 votes
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generous
Antonyms:
mean, ignoble, illiberal, selfish, churlishSynonyms:
noble, chivalrous, liberal, disinterested, bountiful, magnanimous, open-hearted, munificent, honorable
Princeton’s WordNetRate these antonyms:3.0 / 2 votes
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generousadjective
willing to give and share unstintingly
«a generous donation»
Antonyms:
niggardly, meager, cheap, meagerly, scrimpy, cheeseparing, near, hardfisted, tightfisted, skinny, stingy, close, scrimy, chinchy, tight, grudging, closefisted, mingy, ungenerous, penurious, penny-pinching, meagre, beggarly, parsimonious, mean, meanspirited, miserly, chintzy -
generousadjective
not petty in character and mind
«unusually generous in his judgment of people»
Antonyms:
ungenerous, hardfisted, chintzy, stingy, mingy, near, chinchy, tight, meanspirited, meagre, penny-pinching, cheeseparing, cheap, tightfisted, scrimpy, parsimonious, closefisted, grudging, beggarly, close, meager, mean, niggardly, penurious, miserly, skinny, scrimy, meagerly -
generousadjective
more than adequate
«a generous portion»
Antonyms:
mingy, mean, cheeseparing, stingy, tight, close, meager, ungenerous, penny-pinching, chinchy, meanspirited, scrimpy, closefisted, chintzy, cheap, hardfisted, skinny, parsimonious, near, miserly, tightfisted, scrimy, beggarly, penurious, niggardly, meagerly, grudging, meagre
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes
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generousadjective
Antonyms:
illiberal, ungenerous, stingy, scant, miserly, penuriousSynonyms:
magnanimous, noble, highminded, ingenuous, munificent, bountiful, open-handed, liberal, lavish, charitable, unstinted, abundant, plentiful, overflowing
How to use generous in a sentence?
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Debra Tate:
[Bosworth is] very Sharon-like — she’s kind-hearted, gentle and generous.
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Director Christopher Henze:
They were just so open, and generous, and beautiful, and caring and smart.
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Bill Bennett:
Look, we’ve always been a generous nation taking in refugees. But this is a unique situation. This is a situation where you have single men coming over, which is not women and children.
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Lao Tzu:
I have three treasures. Guard and keep them The first is deep love, The second is frugality, And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world. Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.
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Larissa Hirsch:
Compliment them on things that have nothing to do with appearance: how well they shared with their brother, how nicely they stood up for their friend, how generous they were, things of that nature, trying to be supportive and positive and showing the importance of things that have less to do with appearance and more to do with the type of person you are.
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How to say generous in sign language?
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generosity, generously
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Antonyms for Generous. (2016). Retrieved 2023, April 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/antonyms/generous
Antonyms for Generous. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2023. <https://thesaurus.plus/antonyms/generous>.
Antonyms for Generous. 2016. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/antonyms/generous.
Synonym definition
A synonym is a word, adjective, verb or expression that has the same meaning as another, or almost the same meaning. Synonyms are other words that mean the same thing. This avoids repetitions in a sentence without changing its meaning.
Antonym definition
An antonym is a word, adjective, verb or expression whose meaning is opposite to that of a word. Antonyms are used to express the opposite of a word.
Use of synonyms and antonyms
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- — Avoid repetitions in a text.
Examples of synonyms
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Examples of antonyms
The words blockage, encumbrance, handicap are antonyms for «help».
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Opposites
Opposite of Generous, What is opposite antonym word Generous
Opposite of Generous, What is opposite antonym word Generous
Word; Generous
Meaning; bountiful, profuse, liberal, handsome
Opposites of Generous
- stingy
- mercenary
- avaricious
- acquisitive
- money grubber
- measly
- mean
- skimpy
- parsimonious
- churlish
- cheeseparing
- mangy
- ungenerous
- scrooge
- vile
- spare
Here are Most Important Opposite Word List
- about – exactly
- above – below
- absence – presence
- abundance – lack
- accept – refuse
- accidental – intentional
- active – lazy
- add – subtract
- admit – deny
- adult – child
- advanced – elementary
- affirmative – negative
- afraid – brave
- after – before
- against – for
- alike – different
- alive – dead
- all – none
- allow – forbid
- already – not yet
- always – never
- ancient – modern
- ancestor – descendant
- agree – refuse
- amateur – professional
- amuse – bore
- ancestor – descendant
- angel – devil
- animal – human
- annoy – satisfy
- answer – ask
- answer – question
- awful – nice
- back – in front of
- background – foreground
- backward – forward
- bad – good
- bad luck – fortune
- beauty – ugliness
- before – after
- begin – end
- beginning – end
- behind – in front of
- below – above
- best – worst
- better – worse
- beautiful – ugly
- big – small
- birth – death
- bitter – sweet
- black – white
- blunt – sharp
- body – soul
- bore – amuse
- boring – exciting
- careless – careful
- catch – miss
- ceiling – floor
- cellar – attic
- centre – outskirts
- certainly – probably
- changeable – constant
- cheap – expensive
- child – adult
- children – parents
- clean – dirty
- clear – cloudy
- clever – stupid
- close – open
- closed – open
- cloudy – clear
- cold – hot
- cold – heat
- come – go
- comedy – drama
- complicated – simple
- compliment – insult
- cool – warm
- correct – wrong
- courage – fear
- courageous – cowardly
- cowardly – brave
- create – destroy
- cruel – human
- cry – whisper
- cry – laugh
- damage – repair
- danger – security
- dangerous – safe
- dark – light
- daughter – son
- dawn – dusk
- day – night
- dead – alive
- death – birth
- deep – shallow
- defeat – victory
- defence – attack
- defend – attack
- delicious – awful
- deny – admit
- depart – arrive
- departure – arrival
- descendant – ancestor
- descent – ascent
- desperate – hopeful
- destroy – build
- domestic – foreign
- down – up
- downstairs – upstairs
- drama – comedy
- dry – humid
- dull – interesting
- dusk – dawn
- early – late
- east – west
- easy – difficult
- elementary – advanced
- emigrate – immigrate
- emigration – immigration
- empty – full
- end – begin
- end – beginning
- ending – beginning
- enemy – friend
- enjoy – hate
- enter – leave
- entrance – exit
- equal – different
- even – odd
- evening – morning
- everybody – nobody
- export – import
- exposure – shelter
- extreme – moderate
- fail – succeed
- failure – success
- false – true
- far – near
- fast – slow
- fat – slim
- fear – courage
- female – male
- few – many
- final – first
- find – lose
- finish – begin
- finish – start
- first – final
- fix – break
- flat – hilly
- floor – ceiling
- follow – lead
- forbid – allow
- for – against
- foreground – background
- foreign – domestic
- foreigner – native
- forget – remember
- form – destroy
- fortune – bad luck
- gentle – violent
- gentleman – lady
- giant – tiny
- girl – boy
- give – take
- go – come
- good – bad
- grown-up – child
- guest – host
- guilty – innocent
- happiness – sadness
- happy – sad
- handsome – ugly
- hard – easy
- harvest – plant
- hate – enjoy
- health – disease
- healthy – ill
- heat – cold
- heaven – hell
- heavy – light
- huge – tiny
- human – animal
- humane – cruel
- humid – dry
- hungry – thirsty
- husband – wife
- in front of – back
- ignore – notice
- ill – healty
- immigrate – emigrate
- immigration – emigration
- import – export
- in – out
- include – exclude
- increase – reduce
- innocent – guilty
- inside – outside
- insult – compliment
- intelligent – silly
- intentional – accidental
- be interested in – bore
- interesting – boring
- interrupt – continue
- junior – senior
- kind – cruel
- lack – abundance
- lady – gentleman
- land – take off
- land – water
- large – small
- last – first
- late – early
- laugh – cry
- lazy – active
- lead – follow
- learn – teach
- leave – arrive
- left – right
- lend – borrow
- less – more
- let – forbid
- lie – stand
- life – death
- light – dark
- light – heavy
- like – hate
- liquid – solid
- little – big
- little – much
- live – die
- long – short
- lose – win
- loser – winner
- loud – quiet
- love – hate
- lovely – terrible
- low – high
- lower – raise
- bad luck – good luck
- good luck – bad luck
- major – minor
- male – female
- man – woman
- many – few
- midnight – noon
- minimum – maximum
- minor – major
- miss – hit
- miss – catch
- moderate – extreme
- modern – ancient
- monarchy – republic
- moon – sun
- more – less
- morning – evening
- mountain – valley
- much – little
- narrow – broad
- nasty – nice
- native – foreigner
- natural – artificial
- near – distant
- negative – affirmative
- nephew – niece
- never – always
- new – ancient
- nice – awful
- niece – nephew
- night – day
- no – yes
- nobody – everybody
- noisy – quiet
- noon – midnight
- none of – al lot of
- normal – strange
- north – south
- not yet – already
- nothing – everything
- notice – ignore
- now – then
- occasionally – frequently
- occupied – vacant
- odd – even
- off – on
- often – seldom
- old – modern
- on – off
- open – closed
- open – closed
- opponent – supporter
- order – mess
- ordinary – special
- other – same
- out – in
- outside – inside
- outskirts – centre
- over – under
- parents – children
- part – whole
- partial – total
- particular – general
- pass – fail
- past – future
- peace – war
- permit – forbid
- plant – harvest
- plenty – lack
- pleasant – awful
- polite – rude
- poor – rich
- poverty – wealth
- powerful – weak
- presence – absence
- present – past
- pretty – ugly
- private – public
- probably – certainly
- professional – amateur
- protect – attack
- protection – attack
- public – private
- pull – push
- pupil – teacher
- push – pull
- question – answer
- quick – slow
- quiet – loud
- raise – lower
- rainy – sunny
- rear – front
- receive – send
- reduce – increase
- refuse – agree
- regret – satisfaction
- scream – whisper
- security – danger
- seldom – often
- sell – buy
- send – receive
- senior – junior
- separate – connect
- serious – funny
- servant – master
- set free – arrest
- shallow – deep
- sharp – blunt
- shelter – exposure
- short – long
- shout – whisper
- shut – open
- sick – healthy
- silent – noisy
- silly – intelligent
- simple – complicated
- sink – rise
- single – married
- sister – brother
- sit – stand
- slim – fat
- slow – fast
- small – big
- smooth – rough
- soft – hard
- solid – liquid
- some – many
- sometimes – often
- son – daughter
- soul – body
- sour – sweet
- south – north
- special – general
- spring – autumn
- stand – sit
- start – stop
- start – finish
- stop – start
- stand – lie
- strange – normal
- stranger – native
- strict – gentle
- strong – weak
- student – teacher
- stupid – clever
- suburb – centre
- succeed – fail
- success – failure
- subtract – add
- sugar – salt
- summer – winter
- sun – moon
- sunny – cloudy
- true – false
- trust – suspect
- ugliness – beauty
- ugly – beautiful
- under – over
- unite – divide
- unity – division
- up – down
- upstairs – downstairs
- urban – rural
- useful – useless
- useless – useful
- vacant – occupied
- valley – mountain
- vertical – horizontal
- victory – defeat
- village – town
- violent – gentle
- visitor – host
- voluntary – compulsory
- vowel – consonant
- war – peace
- warm – cool
- waste – save
- water – land
- weak – powerful
- wealth – poverty
- wealthy – poor
- wedding – divorce
1
as in charitable
giving or sharing in abundance and without hesitation
a civic leader who is very generous with his money and time
2
as in plentiful
being more than enough without being excessive
mashed potatoes with a generous serving of butter
Synonym Chooser
How does the adjective generous contrast with its synonyms?
Some common synonyms of generous are bountiful, liberal, and munificent. While all these words mean «giving or given freely and unstintingly,» generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift.
Where would bountiful be a reasonable alternative to generous?
The synonyms bountiful and generous are sometimes interchangeable, but bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing.
children spoiled by bountiful presents
When might liberal be a better fit than generous?
In some situations, the words liberal and generous are roughly equivalent. However, liberal suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given.
a teacher liberal with her praise
When is munificent a more appropriate choice than generous?
The words munificent and generous can be used in similar contexts, but munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes.
a munificent foundation grant
Thesaurus Entries Near generous
Cite this Entry
“Generous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/generous. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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