generosity

Noun

generosity (countable and uncountable, plural generosities)

1. (uncountable) The trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time.
   • 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...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...

   Synonyms:

   charity, largesse, liberality

   Antonyms:

   stinginess

2. (uncountable) A 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.
3. (countable) A generous act.
   • 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
   • Givens took the proffered hand. He held it for a time while he allowed the generosity of his nature to overcome his grief at the loss of Bill…1907, O. Henry, The Princess and the Puma, pages 266–275

   Synonyms:

   beau geste

4. (uncountable) The trait of being abundant, more than adequate.
   • He ate everything, despite the generosity of the portions.
5. (archaic, uncountable) Good breeding; nobility of stock.

   Synonyms:

   nobility