gen ‧ e ‧ rous W3 /ˈdʒen ə rəs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ generosity ; adverb : ↑ generously ; adjective : ↑ generous ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: généreux , from Latin generosus 'born into a high rank' , from genus ; ⇨ ↑ genus ]
1 . someone who is generous is willing to give money, spend time etc, in order to help people or give them pleasure OPP mean
generous to
She’s always very generous to the kids.
generous with
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
2 . larger or more than the usual size or amount OPP measly :
a generous glass of wine
generous amount/helping/measure etc
a generous helping of pasta
He had a well-shaped generous mouth.
3 . sympathetic 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ kind 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.
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a kind old lady
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a kind thing to say
▪ nice 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.
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It’s nice of you to invite me here.
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He seems such a nice man.
▪ generous kind because you give people money, presents etc:
‘I’ll pay for the meal.’ ‘That’s very generous of you.’
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a generous gift
▪ considerate 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.
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a considerate driver
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He’s always very polite and considerate to his guests.
▪ thoughtful 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.
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Some thoughtful person had taken her bag to the lost property office.
▪ caring kind and wanting to help and look after people:
She’s lucky to have such a loving and caring husband.
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The British are well-known for their caring attitude toward animals.
▪ sympathetic 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.
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She gave him a sympathetic smile.
▪ good kind and showing that you want to help – used especially in the following phrases:
It was good of you to come and see me.
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She’s always been very good to us.
▪ sweet 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.
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It’s sweet of you to ask.
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a sweet thing to say
▪ kind-hearted/warm-hearted especially written having a kind and friendly character, which makes other people like you:
He was a wonderful father, kind-hearted and always laughing.
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The town is full of warm-hearted, helpful people.
▪ benevolent formal kind and wanting to help people – often used about someone who is important or who people respect:
a benevolent ruler
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They believe in the existence of a benevolent God who will save mankind.
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He listened politely, like some benevolent uncle.