Full of love and good will; benevolent; kind. [1913 Webster]
"Be thy intents wicked or charitable, . . .
. . . I will speak to thee." [1913 Webster]
Liberal in judging of others; disposed to look on the best side, and to avoid harsh judgment. [1913 Webster]
Liberal in benefactions to the poor; giving freely; generous; beneficent. [1913 Webster]
"What charitable men afford to beggars." [1913 Webster]
Of or pertaining to charity; springing from, or intended for, charity; relating to almsgiving; eleemosynary; as, a charitable institution. [1913 Webster]
Dictated by kindness; favorable; lenient. [1913 Webster]
"By a charitable construction it may be a sermon."

Syn. -- Kind; beneficent; benevolent; generous; lenient; forgiving; helpful; liberal; favorable; indulgent.

top

OXFORD DICTIONARY

charitable, adj.
1 generous in giving to those in need.
2 of, relating to, or connected with a charity or charities.
3 apt to judge favourably of persons, acts, and motives.

Derivative

charitableness n. charitably adv.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. charit{eacute} CHARITY

top

THESAURUS

charitable

accommodating, almsgiving, altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, benign, bighearted, bleeding, bountiful, clement, commiserative, compassionate, complimentary, condolent, considerate, costless, easy, eleemosynary, expenseless, for free, for love, for nothing, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving, free, free as air, free for nothing, free gratis, free of charge, free of cost, freebie, freehearted, generous, gentle, giftlike, given, good, gratis, gratuitous, greathearted, helpful, human, humane, humanitarian, indulgent, kind, kindhearted, kindly, largehearted, lenient, liberal, long-suffering, magnanimous, melting, merciful, munificent, obliging, on the house, open-handed, patient, philanthropic, pitying, public-spirited, ruthful, soft, softhearted, sympathetic, sympathizing, tender, tenderhearted, thoughtful, tolerant, tolerating, unbought, understanding, unpaid-for, unselfish, unsparing, untaxed, warmhearted, welfare, welfare statist, welfarist, well-disposed, well-meaning, without charge

top

ROGET THESAURUS

charitable

Giving

N giving, bestowal, bestowment, donation, presentation, presentment, accordance, concession, delivery, consignment, dispensation, communication, endowment, investment, investiture, award, almsgiving, charity, liberality, generosity, gift, donation, present, cadeau, fairing, free gift, boon, favor, benefaction, grant, offering, oblation, sacrifice, immolation, lagniappe, pilon, grace, act of grace, bonus, allowance, contribution, subscription, subsidy, tribute, subvention, bequest, legacy, devise, will, dotation, dot, appanage, voluntary settlement, voluntary conveyance, amortization, alms, largess, bounty, dole, sportule, donative, help, oblation, offertory, honorarium, gratuity, Peter pence, sportula, Christmas box, Easter offering, vail, douceur, drink money, pourboire, trinkgeld, bakshish, fee, consideration, bribe, bait, ground bait, peace offering, handsel, boodle, graft, grease, blat, giver, grantor, donor, feoffer, settlor, giving, given, allowed, allowable, concessional, communicable, charitable, eleemosynary, sportulary, tributary, gratis, donative, auctor pretiosa facit, ex dono, res est ingeniosa dare.

Liberality

N liberality, generosity, munificence, bounty, bounteousness, bountifulness, hospitality, charity, liberal, free, generous, charitable, hospitable, bountiful, bounteous, handsome, unsparing, ungrudging, unselfish, open handed, free handed, full handed, open hearted, large hearted, free hearted, munificent, princely, overpaid, handsome is that handsome does.

Benevolence

N benevolence, Christian charity, God's love, God's grace, good will, philanthropy, unselfishness, good nature, good feeling, good wishes, kindness, kindliness, loving-kindness, benignity, brotherly love, charity, humanity, fellow-feeling, sympathy, goodness of heart, warmth of heart, bonhomie, kind-heartedness, amiability, milk of human kindness, tenderness, love, friendship, toleration, consideration, generosity, mercy, charitableness, bounty, almsgiving, good works, beneficence, the luxury of doing good, acts of kindness, a good turn, good offices, kind offices good treatment, kind treatment, good Samaritan, sympathizer, bon enfant, altruist, benevolent, kind, kindly, well-meaning, amiable, obliging, accommodating, indulgent, gracious, complacent, good-humored, warm-hearted, kind-hearted, tender-hearted, large-hearted, broad- hearted, merciful, charitable, beneficent, humane, benignant, bounteous, bountiful, good-natured, well-natured, spleenless, sympathizing, sympathetic, complaisant, well-meant, well-intentioned, fatherly, motherly, brotherly, sisterly, paternal, maternal, fraternal, sororal, friendly, with a good intention, with the best intentions, Int, Godspeed!, much good may it do!, act a charity sometimes, a tender heart, a will inflexible, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, say only good things about the dead, don't speak ill of the dead, kind words are more than coronets, quando amigo pide no hay manana, the social smile, the sympathetic tear.

For further exploring for "charitable" in Webster Dictionary Online