philanthropic synonyms

philanthropic

modif.

charitable, humanitarian, altruistic, benevolent, public-spirited, liberal, bountiful, magnanimous, generous, munificent, beneficent, helpful, humane, kindly, kindhearted, unselfish, giving, civic-minded, openhanded, eleemosynary, nonprofit, patriotic; see also generous 1, humane 1, kind.

Antonyms misanthropic, hardhearted, selfish.

philanthropic implies interest in the general human welfare, esp. as shown in large-scale gifts to charities or the endowment of institutions for human advancement; humanitarian implies more direct concern with promoting the welfare of humanity, esp. through reducing pain and suffering; charitable usually implies the giving of money or other help to those in need; altruistic implies a putting of the welfare of others before one's own interests and therefore stresses freedom from selfishness

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.