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munificent

If you give your best friend a bracelet for her birthday, then you’re a good friend. If you give her a diamond bracelet, a racehorse, and an oil well, then you’re a munificent friend, meaning you are very lavish when it comes to giving gifts. (And it’s possible you may also be broke.)

If you’re the generous type, you may already know that the word munificent traces back to the Latin word munificus, meaning “generous or bountiful," which in turn originated from the word munus, meaning “gift or service.” Put those two concepts together and you have big-time gift giving on a lavish scale. Use the word munificent to describe instances of over-the-top generosity — think Oprah on a gift-giving binge at Christmastime.

Definitions of munificent
  1. adjective
    very generous
    “a munificent gift”
    “his father gave him a half-dollar and his mother a quarter and he thought them munificent
    synonyms: lavish, overgenerous, too-generous, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting
    generous
    willing to give and share unstintingly
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘munificent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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