generous
/ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/adjective
generous is spelled G-E-N-E-R-O-U-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, generous means “Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in generous?
| Letters | 8: G-E-N-E-R-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is generous?
Generous appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce generous?
- US /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/
Generous has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-generous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of generous
- more generous comparative
- most generous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does generous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.
Thank you for your generous words.
- 2
Willing to give and share unsparingly; showing a readiness to give more (especially money) than is expected or needed.
She's been extremely generous with her winnings.
- 3
Large; more than ample; copious.
Add a generous helping of mayonnaise.
- 4
Invigorating in its nature.
a generous wine
- 5
obsoleteOf noble birth.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Generous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | généreux |
| Portuguese | magnânimo, grande, digno , generoso, dadivoso, mão-aberta |
| Spanish | generoso , dadivoso, munificente, maniabierto |
| German | großzügig, generös |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does generous come from?
From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin generōsus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).