magnanimous
adjective: 1. generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies. 2. high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler. 3. proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness. 4. generous and noble. 5. showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit: the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers. — Joseph Addison. 6. showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind: too sincere for dissimulation, too magnanimous for resentment. — Ellen Glasgow. Examples: Enough water has passed under enough bridges that Barnett, 73, can be magnanimous about the past, present and future. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "How Gary Barnett’s CU Buffs journey came full circle: “It absolutely blows you away”," 7 Nov. 2019. // Her love, compassion, and most importantly, her magnanimous spirit, will live on for generations to come. — Danny Hermosillo, Houston Chronicle, "'Officer Abigail,' Freeport's famous cancer fighter who met Astros' Jose Altuve, dies at 7," 5 Nov. 2019. Related Words: unstinting, unselfish, altruistic, charitable, selfless, forgiving, considerate, beneficent, benevolent, big, bountiful, free, generous, great, handsome, high-minded, kindly, liberal, lofty, loose. Synonyms: big, chivalrous, elevated, gallant, great, greathearted, high, high-minded, liberal, lofty, lordly, natural, noble, sublime, unspiteful. Antonyms: base, debased, degenerate, degraded, ignoble, low. Synonym Study: Noble, high-minded, magnanimous agree in referring to lofty principles and loftiness of mind or spirit. Noble implies a loftiness of character or spirit that scorns the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable: a noble deed. High-minded implies having elevated principles and consistently adhering to them: a high-minded pursuit of legal reforms. Magnanimous suggests greatness of mind or soul, especially as manifested in generosity or in overlooking injuries: magnanimous toward his former enemies. Note:
When you see "anima," "animus," or a similar formation in a word, it's an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something "animated" is full of life, for example, and an "animal" is a living, breathing thing. The Latin word animus means "soul" or "spirit." In "magnanimous," that "animus" is joined by Latin magnus, meaning "great." Basically meaning "greatness of spirit," "magnanimity" is the opposite of pettiness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating. Angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward another. —Merriam-Webster. Origin: 1575–85; < Latin magnanimus great-souled, equivalent to magn(us) magn- + anim(us) spirit, soul, mind + -us -ous. C16: from Latin magnanimus great-souled. First Known Use: 1547. History and Etymology: Latin magnanimus, from magnus great + animus spirit — more at much, animate. Source 1, Source 2.
When you see "anima," "animus," or a similar formation in a word, it's an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something "animated" is full of life, for example, and an "animal" is a living, breathing thing. The Latin word animus means "soul" or "spirit." In "magnanimous," that "animus" is joined by Latin magnus, meaning "great." Basically meaning "greatness of spirit," "magnanimity" is the opposite of pettiness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating. Angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward another. —Merriam-Webster. Origin: 1575–85; < Latin magnanimus great-souled, equivalent to magn(us) magn- + anim(us) spirit, soul, mind + -us -ous. C16: from Latin magnanimus great-souled. First Known Use: 1547. History and Etymology: Latin magnanimus, from magnus great + animus spirit — more at much, animate. Source 1, Source 2.