Generosity Meaning
/ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹɒs.ɪ.ti/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.
nounA 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.
Sentence Examples
Generosity is innate in some people.
Two traits of Americans are generosity and energy.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ was clear when she gave half her lunch to the hungry boy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We were deeply moved by the ____ of the donors who contributed to our charity's annual fundraising event.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English generosite, from Latin generōsitās, equivalent to generous + -ity.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"We have mentioned generosity as an outstanding virtue required in Sioux life."
— 1963, Erik H. Erikson, Childhood and Society:
"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."
— 2013 June 7, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama is like Apple, Google and Facebook: a once hip brand tainted by Prism”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2022, page 18:
"May the generosities of the founders of these halls, be rewarded by the fair and holy characters which shall be here formed[…]."
— 1873, Reverend M. C. Tyler, Proceedings at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Sage College of the Cornell University:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ was clear when she gave half her lunch to the hungry boy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We were deeply moved by the ____ of the donors who contributed to our charity's annual fundraising event.