generousgen‧e‧rous /ˈdʒenərəs/ ●●○ W3 adjective 
She’s always very generous to the kids.generous with something Jim is very generous with his time.it/that is generous (of somebody) It was generous of them to ask Anna along.generous offer/support/donation etc my employer’s generous offer to pay the bill► see thesaurus at kind2larger or more than the usual size or amount OPP measly: a generous glass of winegenerous amount/helping/measure etc a generous helping of pasta He had a well-shaped generous mouth.3sympathetic in the way you deal with people, and tending to see the good qualities in someone or something OPP mean: She was generous enough to overlook my little mistake.—generously adverb: Please give generously to the refugee fund.
WORD ORIGINgenerous
Origin:
1500-1600 French généreux, from Latin generosus ‘born into a high rank’, from genus; ➔ GENUSEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a generous pension plan
- a generous slice of cake
- He heaped the plate with a generous serving of meat and potato pie.
- I am so amazed at how caring and generous people are here.
- I usually stir a generous quantity of rum into the cake mixture.
- Mrs. Flatch is a very generous woman.
- My dad offered to pay my plane fare, which was very generous of him.
- My sister's really generous. She's always buying things for her friends.
- Roy was always cheerful and outgoing and generous to everyone.
- She is usually generous in her judgments of people.
- The company offers bonuses, stock options, and a generous benefit package.
- The Cranstons are among the museum's most generous donors.
- He was a generous man with strong abrasive streaks and keen hatreds.
- It's really a very generous one.
- Nevertheless, the move back towards a more generous welfare policy for older people was hesitatingly slow.
- Thanks largely to some generous donations from absent well-wishers, we also made more money than last year.
THESAURUS
someone who is kind tries to help people and make them happy or comfortable, and shows that they care about them: · They were very kind to us and let us stay in their house as long as we liked.· a kind old lady· a kind thing to say
especially spoken friendly and kind. Nice is very common in everyday spoken English and is often used instead of kind: · Everyone has been so nice to me.· It’s nice of you to invite me here.· He seems such a nice man.
kind because you give people money, presents etc: · ‘I’ll pay for the meal.’ ‘That’s very generous of you.’· a generous gift
thinking about other people’s feelings, and careful not to do anything that will upset them: · Our neighbours are very considerate and always keep their TV turned down.· a considerate driver· He’s always very polite and considerate to his guests.
thinking of things you can do to make other people happy or feel good – used especially when someone does something such as giving someone a present or helping someone: · It was thoughtful of you to send him a card.· Some thoughtful person had taken her bag to the lost property office.
kind and wanting to help and look after people: · She’s lucky to have such a loving and caring husband.· The British are well-known for their caring attitude toward animals.
saying kind things to someone who has problems and behaving in a way that shows you care about them: · My boss was very sympathetic and said I should take some time off work.· She gave him a sympathetic smile.
kind and showing that you want to help – used especially in the following phrases: · It was good of you to come and see me.· She’s always been very good to us.
informal very kind – used especially when you like someone very much, or you are very pleased because of something they have done: · I was given the flowers by a sweet little old lady who lived next door.· It’s sweet of you to ask.· a sweet thing to say
especially written having a kind and friendly character, which makes other people like you: · He was a wonderful father, kind-hearted and always laughing.· The town is full of warm-hearted, helpful people.
formal kind and wanting to help people – often used about someone who is important or who people respect: · a benevolent ruler· They believe in the existence of a benevolent God who will save mankind.· He listened politely, like some benevolent uncle.
Longman Language Activatorgenerous someone who is generous gives money or presents to other people, and you think it is kind and good of them to do this: · My sister's really generous. She's always buying things for her friends.· I am so amazed at how caring and generous people are here.· The Cranstons are among the museum's most generous donors.generous to: · Roy was always cheerful and outgoing and generous to everyone.it is generous of somebody (to do something): · My dad offered to pay my plane fare, which was very generous of him.
generous behaviour: · The Prince was famous for his generosity.
not generous also miserly not generous, especially in small ways, when you could easily afford to be generous: · They are rich, but they are terribly stingy.· A hard, miserly woman, she left her daughters emotionally damaged.stingy with: · I don't know why they were so stingy with the drinks -- they have plenty of money.
British someone who is mean does not like spending money or sharing what they have with other people: · He's so mean, he won't even buy his wife a birthday present.mean with: · Marsha has always been mean with her money.
spoken informal someone who is tight or tight-fisted is not at all generous and tries hard to avoid spending money: · "I don't think I'll bother getting them a present." "Don't be so tight!"· Don't even ask Dad. You know how tight-fisted he is about these kinds of things.· a tight-fisted bosstight with money: · Even as a young man, Paul was notoriously tight with his money.
spending very little, or always spending less than is needed, often because you do not have very much money: · His grandparents were humourless and penny-pinching.· She could finally tolerate no more of his coldness and penny-pinching ways.· Unfortunately we have a penny-pinching local government that spends as little as possible on parks and sports facilities.
someone who is not generous someone who hates spending money, and tries to spend as little as possible, especially someone who stores their money in a secret place: · Everyone said Mr Henny was a miser who had thousands of pounds hidden under his bed.· My uncle was a terrible miser - he would walk in lashing rain rather than pay a bus fare.
also tightwad especially American informal someone who hates to spend or give money: · We waited for the old skinflint to find his wallet and pay us our money.· Joe is such a tightwad that he won't even buy his own newspaper.
informal someone who dislikes spending money, and does not care if they behave in an unreasonable way to avoid spending it: · Howard rode with us in the taxi, but the cheapskate didn't offer to pay any of the fare.· I'm not going out with those cheapskates again - they didn't buy a drink all night!
large numbers/amounts · She's used to working with large sums of money.· Large numbers of seabirds have been killed by pollution following the oil spillage.· A large proportion of the audience consisted of teenaged girls.
use this about rates, levels, measurements etc that are bigger than is usual or than is acceptable: · Someone on such a high salary shouldn't have to borrow money.· High levels of radiation have been reported near the nuclear plant.· I always try to avoid foods with a high fat content.
fairly large: · £1000 is a considerable sum for most people.· She receives a sizable income from her investments.· A considerable number of voters changed their minds at the last minute.· Sugar is added in considerable quantities to most soft drinks.
large enough to be useful or to have an important effect: · The survey showed that substantial numbers of 15-year-olds were already smoking twenty cigarettes a week.in substantial/significant numbers: · Women began to enter the British Parliament in significant numbers in the 1990s.a substantial/significant proportion of: · A significant proportion of drivers fail to keep to speed limits.
use this about an amount, especially of food or money, that is larger than what is needed or expected: · He heaped the plate with a generous serving of meat and potato pie.· I usually stir a generous quantity of rum into the cake mixture.· The company offers bonuses, stock options, and a generous benefit package.
use this about an amount of money someone gets or is paid that is surprisingly large: · Ozzie left a very handsome tip on the plate.· She received a handsome reward for finding the wallet.· The big oil companies made a handsome profit out of the fuel crisis.
use this about a surprisingly large amount of money, especially one that someone has to pay: · The other driver received a hefty fine for his role in the accident.· hefty admission fees· It was a $350,000 contract, plus hefty bonuses and expenses.
to give generously · We've received thousands of dollars to help the children -- people have been incredibly generous.be generous to · He was very generous to her when they divorced, and let her keep the house and the car.be generous with something (=give a lot of something) · When it comes to training, Marion's always been generous with her time.
: lavish gifts/attention/affection etc on someone to give a lot of gifts, attention etc to someone, especially in an uncontrolled or wasteful way: · When the series was first shown, the media lavished praise on its creator David Lynch.· Pet owners lavish love and attention on animals because they're a lot easier to deal with than their fellow human beings.
: shower somebody with gifts/affection/praise etc to give someone a lot of gifts, love, prizes etc: · Trudi was treated as a special guest and was showered with gifts everywhere she went.· His family loved him so much they showered him with affection.shower something on/upon somebody: · When Elvis first became famous he had honours and awards showered upon him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY my employer’s generous offer to pay the bill a generous helping of pasta Please give generously to the refugee fund.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
my employer’s generous offer to pay the bill a generous helping of pasta Please give generously to the refugee fund.· She made generous donations to various charities.
· He had made a very generous gesture to the school.
· Her colleagues presented her with a generous gift when she retired.
(=wide)· Leave a generous margin at the side of the page.
(=a large mouth that is attractive)· On her generous mouth was a smile.
· We are grateful for your kind offer.· They were surprised by his generous offer to let them stay at his place.
(=large)· Spoon a generous portion of the sauce over the pasta.
(=thick or big)· He cut Donald a generous slice of ham.
· The service was great and we left a large tip.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Dinosaurs might have been just as generous.· The fillings are as generous as their Stateside forebears and the rye bread has a nice, chewy texture.· In this respect she is not as generous as her predecessors.· Therefore, the Minister has not been as generous as he pretends.· The Minister is never as generous as he pretends.· But grandparents can be as generous as they like because the £100 rule does not apply to them.· His car-driving was, to be as generous as possible in my assessment, highly individualistic.
· At first I thought how generous it was of Émile to bother about Jean-Claude at all.· And how generous was the young count, to loan his auto to Papa for our family needs.· He smiled, pleased with himself, then sat back, wondering how generous Loehr planned to be.· Oh, Nick! How generous I have been with my genius.
· We understand, however, that the council's offer of assistance has so far been rather less generous.· Lower earnings have, in turn, forced many stores to be less generous in serving customers.· Coral quote the former champion at 4-5, but William Hill are less generous offering 1-2.· Less generous programs are ultimately less generous programs for us and not just for them.· They are therefore being told that future political donations will be less generous.· On other appliances, terms were less generous and usually subject, like those of other retailers, to government credit restrictions.· We are somewhat less generous with our wealth.· Dundalk's mean, well organised rearguard will certainly be a lot less generous this afternoon.
· Yet there's nobody more generous.· Child care reform means making the day-care system more liberal, which means more generous and comprehensive.· F.E. resourcing and staffing are more generous than for institutions under Schools' Regulations.· The kitchen, however, could be more generous with the wasabi mayonnaise.· His recollections are more generous, but notably concerned with the moral impression made on Gandhi, rather than the reverse.· When he agreed to go ahead he could not have been more generous.· With this scenario, yes, the president could afford to take a more generous view of trade agreements.· Nevertheless, the move back towards a more generous welfare policy for older people was hesitatingly slow.
· Agreements, however, extended far beyond the most generous definition of infrastructure.· Even on the most generous assumptions to Bush, Prof Doig says that Gore would have won by at least 1,400 votes.· Despite this huge expansion, our students enjoy one of the most generous support systems in the world.· If more than one way applies, you are eligible for the benefits that are the most generous. 1.· The main deck features a most generous main salon and dining forward with seating for eight.· In relation to primary education, they found considerable variation, with the most generous authority spending 70 percent more than the lowest authority.· Our hosts were most generous, sharing their food with us and insisting on giving us their bedrooms.· It certainly wasn't meanness - he was the most generous of men with his money, his time and his affections.
· I've found the sizing of the Freestyle trousers to be quite generous, which makes them a bit baggy at the waist.· We are quite generous towards unemployed people.
· Given the same opportunities, Hateley and Ally McCoist are unlikely to be so generous.· Again, the portions are so generous that one order can easily feed two people.· Why, most of the time, are they so generous?· The regents have been so supportive, so generous to me.· But those who paid so generously for their tickets weren't so generous, or so knowing, in their sentiments.· I have a theory: Alvin was so generous with time for other choreographers.· And we can safely bet that it isn't being so generous.· She could not be so generous.
· They say Brian Clough, the maverick manager of Nottingham Forest, isn't always too generous with his compliments.· Sister Colleta watched me carefully, to make sure I was not too generous.· However, some delegates thought the figures were too generous.· Such pragmatic exculpation is both too harsh on Mr Museveni and too generous.· He was sometimes too generous but Fon loved him for it.· One report had Vallance ordered out because the pay-offs were too generous.· If the redundancy package is too generous many staff will opt for that and not even consider relocating.· They argue that boundaries are too generous.
· It's really a very generous one.· In her adopted desert home, Bombeck was very generous, contributing time and money to a number of charitable organizations.· People have been very generous with their donations.· Unless your food budget is very generous, be cautious in the purchase of ready-to-eat food products.· Bob Martin, from the Darlington Milk Buyers, said customers had been very generous and they still had more to collect.· He was, however, very generous to other people.· That is a very generous, but correctly generous, settlement for Northumbria.· It had come as quite a surprise to discover he was charming, very generous, and enormous fun to be with.
NOUN· He also made sure that the servants had a generous amount of beer, too.· Has an interesting nuttiness and generous amount of alcohol, but not much spice.· Simply smear on a generous amount over your skin after cleansing to make a revitalising face mask.· If you use this method you will need a generous amount of fabric, about three times the width of the wall.· Aeration and drainage on cold, wet soils can be improved by digging in generous amounts of pea-sized grit and well-rotted manure.
· The local charities found in him a generous benefactor.· One of the late owners, one Mr Raines, planted about 1,000 trees and was a generous benefactor to the school.· He refers to errors in the generous benefactor to the Club, later becoming President.
· And today we can reveal the staggering total of your generous donations so far - a record-breaking £300,000.· Jean also gave her thanks for generous donations to Leslie's favourite charity, the Lord's Taverners.· So far £114,957 has been raised including a generous donation this week of £3,000 from the Hedley Foundation, a charitable trust.· Other generous donations include those received form the Cripps family.· This amount was further swelled by a generous donation from Norfolk of £200.
· You may like to know that the cost of these sachets have been met by a generous donor.· There is good reason to believe that this is also the wish of those who are the generous donors.· Unfortunately, Ed Durbeck is not really in the position of a generous donor.
· It was a generous gesture to try to ease the tension and relax a fellow professional.· It was a generous gesture on his part.· We thank him sincerely for his generous gesture in allowing this debate to take place.· Only the weather was ominous - the usual generous gestures of support received from congregation and friends were heartwarming.· No man knew better than he the value of a generous gesture.· Members of the family would be buried there until the 1940s, thanks to William's generous gesture.· The Government is optimistic that Bill Clinton will use the last days of his presidency to make a generous gesture on debt.
· Lady Dorman-Smith, the wife of the Governor, came to our rescue with two generous gifts of money.
· I am particularly grateful for his generous help with photographs, historical records and advice.· What is needed is generous help to ensure their children survive and aid systems which really are of benefit to the people.
· The idea is to introduce a generous helping of loose feed in the first instance.· Bar meals with good menu and generous helpings.
· He had always been a good and generous man.· Marty after all, was a generous man.· He was a generous man with strong abrasive streaks and keen hatreds.· He is concerned with the well-being of every citizen, and is a kind, prudent, generous man.· Your grandfather was a generous man, Bill, a good man.· My father was a generous man, and so he cautiously agreed to do what he could.· He was a friendly and generous man, who gave freely to the poor.
· Evelyn poured everyone out a generous measure.· She poured out a generous measure of malt whisky and positioned the glass in front of his nose.· She watched him carefully as Wakelate brought in the brandy and poured out a generous measure.· He poured a generous measure into a plastic cup then slid it over the top of the desk into her hand.· He joined me at the table and poured out two generous measures of the clear liquid from the bottle.
· But the directors of the museum at that time were so insensitive that they actually discouraged her generous offer.· He would allow them half a day to consider this generous offer, otherwise the fullest attacks would continue.· With such a generous offer, it is easy to overlook the small print.
· The Luggnuggians are polite and generous people, and I stayed here for three months.· But his research laboratory colleague Tom Hedman can-thanks to generous people who donate their bodies to science.· They claim that despite their reputations, the Krays are really kind and generous people.· They were generous people, steadfast and tolerant, with a gift for empire.
· Lily helped herself to the two smallest slices and a generous portion of the crispy brown bubble and squeak.· When available, parts from male fryers provide more generous portions than parts from female fryers.· If you have liver or a generous portion of a soya product at least once a week this will help.· The low prices and generous portions account for the ubiquitous lines, which almost always extend out the door.· It boasts an overly generous portion of violence.· Spoon a generous portion of salsa on the other side of the plate and place grilled eggplant on top of salsa.
· We are most grateful to the Savoy Hotel for their generous support of this event each year.· Despite this huge expansion, our students enjoy one of the most generous support systems in the world.· Their generous support and presence, joining in enthusiastically with everything we planned, has enabled us to truly enjoy this day.· We will continue to provide generous support for students and to expand our student loans commitment.· Bridget thanked the teachers for their generous support of the Raffle which raised a splendid £444.· While McNair excluded Cambridge, he gave Keeton generous support elsewhere.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- David was loyal to a fault, and in his naive understanding quietly expected the same kind of loyalty in return.
- He is loyal to a fault, even to his enemies.
- His father's brother, Gloucester had hitherto been loyal to a fault.
- Your tutor may be generous to a fault but can not reward irrelevance or peripheral knowledge display. 3.
WORD FAMILYnoungenerosityadjectivegenerousadverbgenerously
1someone who is generous is willing to give money, spend time etc, in order to help people or give them pleasure OPP meangenerous to somebody She’s always very generous to the kids.generous with something Jim is very generous with his time.it/that is generous (of somebody) It was generous of them to ask Anna along.generous offer/support/donation etc my employer’s generous offer to pay the bill► see thesaurus at kind2larger or more than the usual size or amount OPP measly: a generous glass of winegenerous amount/helping/measure etc a generous helping of pasta He had a well-shaped generous mouth.3sympathetic in the way you deal with people, and tending to see the good qualities in someone or something OPP mean: She was generous enough to overlook my little mistake.—generously adverb: Please give generously to the refugee fund.