generous

English

Etymology

From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin generōsus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

generous (comparative more generous, superlative most generous)

1. Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous. [from 16th c.]

   Thank you for your generous words.

2. Willing to give and share unsparingly; showing a readiness to give more (especially money) than is expected or needed. [from 17th c.]

   She's been extremely generous with her winnings.

3. Large, more than ample, copious. [from 17th c.]

   Add a generous helping of mayonnaise.

   his generous buttocks

   • 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 4:

     [H]is hard jaw worked slowly upon a generous mouthful of plug cut.

   • 2018, Tayari Jones, An American Marriage, Oneworld Publications, page 226:

     The ice cream parlors served generous scoops, hand-dipped by college-bound teenagers who spoke through colorful orthodontia.

4. Invigorating in its nature.

   a generous wine

5. (obsolete) Of noble birth. [16th–19th c.]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:generous

Related terms

• generosity

Translations

noble in behaviour, magnanimous

• Belarusian: вялікаду́шны (vjalikadúšny), высакаро́дны (vysakaródny), шляхе́тны (šljaxjétny)
• Bhojpuri: दिलदार (dilᵊdār)
• Bulgarian: великоду́шен (bg) (velikodúšen), благоро́ден (bg) (blagoróden)
• Catalan: generós (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 慷慨 (zh) (kāngkǎi), 大方 (zh) (dàfang), 寬宏大量／宽宏大量 (zh) (kuānhóngdàliàng), 寬厚／宽厚 (zh) (kuānhòu)

• Czech: šlechetný (cs)
• Dutch: grootmoedig (nl)
• Esperanto: grandanima
• Finnish: ylevä (fi), suurenmoinen (fi)
• French: généreux (fr) m
• Galician: xeneroso m
• Georgian: დიდსულოვანი (didsulovani), სულგრძელი (sulgrʒeli)
• Hindi: दिलदार (hi) (dildār)
• Ido: jeneroza (io)
• Irish: mórchroíoch, flaithiúil, flaithiúlach, gartach (literary)
• Italian: magnanimo (it) m
• Korean: 관대하다 (gwandaehada)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: camêr (ku)

• Macedonian: велико́душен (velikódušen), благо́роден (blagóroden)
• Maori: ngākau oha
• Norman: génétheux (Jersey)
• Occitan: generós (oc)
• Ottoman Turkish: كریم (kerim)
• Persian: نجیب (fa) (najib), راد (fa) (râd)
• Polish: wielkoduszny (pl), szlachetny (pl)
• Portuguese: magnânimo (pt), grande (pt), digno (pt)
• Romanian: generos (ro), mărinimos (ro)
• Russian: великоду́шный (ru) (velikodúšnyj), благоро́дный (ru) (blagoródnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: велико̀душан

  Roman: velikòdušan (sh)

• Slovak: šľachetný
• Slovene: velikodušen (sl)
• Spanish: generoso (es), magnánimo (es)
• Tagalog: bukas-palad (tl) (idiomatic), mapagbigay (tl)
• Ukrainian: великоду́шний (velykodúšnyj), благоро́дний (uk) (blahoródnyj), шляхе́тний (šljaxétnyj)

willing to give and share unsparingly

• Aghwan: 𐕣𐕒𐕡𐔾𐕐𐔰𐔳 (kulšad)
• Arabic: كَرِيم (karīm)

  Egyptian Arabic: كريم (karīm)

• Armenian: շռայլ (hy) (šṙayl)
• Azerbaijani: əliaçıq (az), səxavətli (az), comərd
• Bashkir: йомарт (yomart)
• Basque: eskuzabal, emankor (eu)
• Belarusian: шчо́дры (ščódry)
• Bulgarian: ще́дър (bg) (štédǎr)
• Catalan: generós (ca)
• Cebuano: hingatag, mahatagon, manggihatagon, bukhad og palad
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 慷慨 (zh) (kāngkǎi), 大方 (zh) (dàfang), 寬宏大量／宽宏大量 (zh) (kuānhóngdàliàng), 寬厚／宽厚 (zh) (kuānhòu)

• Czech: štědrý (cs) m
• Danish: generøs
• Dutch: gul (nl), genereus (nl), vrijgevig (nl), scheutig (nl)
• Esperanto: malavara, sindona, donacema, grandanima, oferema
• Finnish: antelias (fi)
• French: généreux (fr) m
• Galician: xeneroso m
• Georgian: გულუხვი (guluxvi), სულგრძელი (sulgrʒeli)
• German: großzügig (de), generös (de)
• Greek: γενναιόδωρος (el) (gennaiódoros)
• Hebrew: נדיב (he)
• Hiligaynon: maalwan, mahalaron, mapanghatagon
• Hungarian: nagylelkű (hu), bőkezű (hu), adakozó (hu), nagyvonalú (hu)
• Ido: jeneroza (io)
• Indonesian: murah hati (id), dermawan (id)
• Ingrian: hetas, aukka
• Irish: mórchroíoch, gnaíúil
• Italian: generoso (it) m
• Japanese: 気の大きい (ki no ōkii), 気前の良い (kimae no yoi), 寛大 (ja) (kandai)
• Kabuverdianu: roskon
• Kazakh: береген (beregen)
• Khmer: មាន​ចិត្ដសប្បុរស (miən cət sɑpboʼrɑh)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: merd (ku), destvekirî (ku)

• Ladino: sadikero
• Latin: mūnificus, largus
• Latvian: dāsns, devīgs
• Macedonian: да́режлив (dárežliv), ште́дар (štédar)
• Maori: atawhai, nihowera (referring to food), ohaoha, marae
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sjenerøs (no), raus (no)

  Nynorsk: sjenerøs, raus

• Ottoman Turkish: جومرد (cömerd), كریم (kerim)
• Persian: بخشنده (fa) (baxšande), راد (fa) (râd), رادمنش (fa) (râd-maneš)
• Plautdietsch: boarmherzich
• Polish: hojny (pl) m, szczodry (pl) m
• Portuguese: generoso (pt), dadivoso, mão-aberta
• Quechua: ruq'a
• Romanian: generos (ro), darnic (ro)
• Russian: ще́дрый (ru) (ščédryj)
• Sanskrit: राति (sa) (rāti), मीढ्वस् (sa) (mīḍhvas)
• Scots: guidwilly
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дарѐжљив, велико̀душан

  Roman: darèžljiv (sh), velikòdušan (sh)

• Sinhalese: ත්‍යාගශීලි (tyāgaśīli)
• Slovak: štedrý
• Slovene: radodaren (sl), darežljiv
• Southern Altai: кӱӱнчек (küünček)
• Spanish: generoso (es), dadivoso (es), munificente (es)
• Swahili: karimu (sw)
• Swedish: generös (sv)
• Tagalog: mapagbigay (tl), palabigay, bukas-palad (tl)
• Thai: ใจกว้าง (th) (jai-gwâang), ใจสปอร์ต, เอื้อเฟื้อ (th) (ʉ̂ʉa-fʉ́ʉa), เผื่อแผ่ (th) (pʉ̀ʉa-pɛ̀ɛ), เอื้อเฟื้อเผื่อแผ่ (ʉ̂ʉa-fʉ́ʉa-pʉ̀ʉa-pɛ̀ɛ)
• Turkish: cömert (tr), eli açık (tr), selek (tr),(dialectal), semih (tr) (archaic)
• Ukrainian: ще́дрий (ščédryj), го́йний (hójnyj), щедро́тний (ščedrótnyj)
• Urdu: سخی (saxī)
• Vietnamese: rộng lượng (vi), hào phóng (vi)
• Welsh: hael (cy)

large, ample

• Bulgarian: обилен (bg) (obilen), богат (bg) (bogat)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 豐富／丰富 (zh) (fēngfù), 大量 (zh) (dàliàng)

• Dutch: gul (nl), genereus (nl)
• Finnish: runsas (fi)
• Georgian: უხვი (uxvi)
• German: großzügig (de), generös (de)
• Greek: γερός (el) (gerós)
• Hebrew: נדיב (he)
• Italian: abbondante (it)
• Macedonian: о́билен (óbilen)
• Maori: rari, māhorahora
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sjenerøs (no)

  Nynorsk: sjenerøs

• Portuguese: abundante (pt)
• Russian: ще́дрый (ru) (ščédryj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: и̏зда̄шан, обѝлат

  Roman: ȉzdāšan (sh), obìlat (sh)

• Spanish: generoso (es)
• Turkish: bol (tr)

of noble birth

• Bulgarian: благоро́ден (bg) (blagoróden)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 出身高貴的／出身高贵的 (chūshēn gāoguì de)

• Czech: velkomožný
• Dutch: edelboortig, nobel (nl), hooggeboren (nl)
• Finnish: jalosukuinen (fi)
• Georgian: დიდგვაროვანი (didgvarovani), დიდებული (ka) (didebuli), წარჩინებული (c̣arčinebuli), თავადი (tavadi), კეთილშობილი (ḳetilšobili)
• Macedonian: благо́роден (blagóroden)
• Maori: ariki (mi)
• Persian: نجیب (fa) (najib)
• Portuguese: generoso (pt), nobre (pt)
• Russian: благоро́дный (ru) (blagoródnyj), родови́тый (ru) (rodovítyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: племѐнит, пле̏менит

  Roman: plemènit (sh), plȅmenit (sh)

• Spanish: generoso (es)
• Turkish: asil (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

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} generoso (it)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 관대한 (gwandaehan)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} generōsus (la), ^{(please verify)} līberālis (la)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} велико̀душан

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} velikòdušan (sh)