generous
generous — adjective
1. A generous person willingly shares their money, time, or other resources with ot
A generous person willingly shares their money, time, or other resources with others, often giving more than what is typically expected.
Michael is generous with his time, often staying late to help younger students with their homework.
generous with + [time/resources]
It was generous of the Minh family to donate all the proceeds from their garage sale to the animal shelter.
it is generous of + [person] + to-infinitive
Adina's generous nature shone through when she bought plane tickets for her grandparents to visit the family.
Antonia made a generous donation to the library's children's reading programme.
- charitable
More focused on giving to people in need, often through organisations; slightly more formal.
- open-handed
Informal and vivid; emphasises freely giving large amounts.
- liberal
Formal; can mean giving freely, but also carries a political meaning that can cause confusion.
文法句型
generous + with + [money/time/help/resources]
it is/was generous of + [person] + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Often followed by 'with' to specify what is shared (money, time, praise, help). The pattern 'it is generous of somebody to do something' is common in both formal and informal settings.
常見錯誤
2. A generous amount or portion is significantly larger than what is considered nor
A generous amount or portion is significantly larger than what is considered normal, necessary, or expected in a particular situation.
The cafe serves generous slices of cheesecake that are easily enough for two people to share.
generous + food portion
Vikram received a generous scholarship that covered all his tuition fees and living expenses for four years.
The hotel offered a generous discount of forty percent to guests who booked at least a month in advance.
Takeshi was surprised by the generous size of his hotel room in Tokyo.
- ample
More formal; suggests more than enough space or quantity.
- substantial
Emphasises size or importance rather than abundance; often used for meals or sums of money.
- lavish
Suggests a luxurious or excessive quantity, not just 'more than usual'.
文法句型
generous + [portion/helping/amount/serving]
generous + [raise/reward/discount/offer]
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used attributively (before a noun) rather than predictively. It collocates strongly with nouns for food portions, financial amounts, and spatial measurements. No comparative or superlative form is common in this sense.
常見錯誤
3. A generous person treats others with kindness and fairness, especially by choosi
A generous person treats others with kindness and fairness, especially by choosing to believe the best about them, forgive their mistakes, or judge them less harshly than they might deserve.
Jabari was generous in his praise of the opposing team after they narrowly defeated his side in the championship final.
generous in + [gerund/noun]
The principal took a generous view of the prank and gave the student a second chance.
take a generous view of + [something]
Eliska is generous towards her sister and never holds a grudge after their arguments.
Shirin gave a generous interpretation of her colleague's mistake at the team meeting.
- magnanimous
Very formal; describes someone noble and forgiving, especially after a victory or conflict.
- lenient
Focuses on being less strict or harsh in judgment; can sometimes imply weakness.
- big-hearted
Informal; warm and kind in a broad sense, covering both material and emotional generosity.
文法句型
generous to/towards + [person]
generous in + [approaching/considering/judging]
take a generous view of + [something]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about sharing material resources or time, whereas sense 3 is about offering emotional generosity — forgiveness, understanding, and a charitable interpretation of others' actions. Common in formal evaluations ('a generous assessment', 'a generous interpretation').