magnanimous
/mæɡˈnæn.ɪ.məs/adjective
magnanimous is spelled M-A-G-N-A-N-I-M-O-U-S: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, magnanimous means “Noble and generous in spirit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in magnanimous?
| Letters | 11: M-A-G-N-A-N-I-M-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd 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 magnanimous?
Magnanimous appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd 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 magnanimous?
- US /mæɡˈnæn.ɪ.məs/
Magnanimous has 4 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-magnanimous.ogg, En-au-magnanimous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of magnanimous
- more magnanimous comparative
- most magnanimous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does magnanimous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Noble and generous in spirit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Magnanimous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense noble and generous in spirit:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | magnanime |
| German | großmütig, edelmütig, großzügig, großherzig |
| Portuguese | magnânimo |
| Spanish | magnánimo |
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 magnanimous come from?
From Latin magnanimus, from magnus (“great”) + animus (“soul, mind”). Displaced native Old English miċelmōd (literally “big-minded”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).