philanthropic

adjective

ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pik How to pronounce philanthropic (audio)
variants also philanthropical
Definition of philanthropicnext
as in charitable
having or showing a concern for the welfare of others a philanthropic society that has been doing good for over a century

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of philanthropic This is not the first such philanthropic Parisian endeavor David Yurman has undertaken. — Roberta Naas, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 His foundation focuses on food security, conflict mitigation, and combating human trafficking—work that reflects his conviction that philanthropic capital is uniquely positioned to take big risks. — Tharin Pillay, Time, 14 May 2026 About the Rancho Santa Fe FoundationThe Rancho Santa Fe Foundation partners with individuals, families, and organizations to turn philanthropic vision into meaningful impact. — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 Yet philanthropic investment is shrinking in relative terms. — Felecia Hatcher, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for philanthropic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for philanthropic
  1. charitable
  2. humanitarian
  3. benevolent
Adjective
  • Among Parton’s charitable efforts aimed at education was her Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 300 million books to children worldwide over the past 30 years.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s legislation also added a charitable deduction for filers who don’t itemize tax breaks, worth up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of charitable
Adjective
  • The war created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters and killed more than 150,000 people.
    — AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ireland has committed more than $754 million in humanitarian assistance, military training and other non-lethal support to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 while stopping short of providing lethal weapons.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of humanitarian
Adjective
  • To George, there are benevolent choices that businessmen owe to those who their work touches.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With new ownership, the Lakers’ braintrust no longer has the protection of the benevolent Buss family or the baseball-centric Mark Walter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of benevolent

Browse Nearby Words

philanders
philanthropic
philanthropically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Philanthropic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philanthropic. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All