philanthropic

adjective

phil·​an·​throp·​ic ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pik 

variants or less commonly philanthropical

ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pi-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by philanthropy : humanitarian

2

: dispensing or receiving aid from funds set aside for humanitarian purposes

philanthropically

ˌfi-lən-ˈthrä-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• altruistic
• beneficent
• benevolent
• charitable
• do-good
• eleemosynary
• good
• humanitarian

Examples of philanthropic in a Sentence

a philanthropic society that has been doing good for over a century

Recent Examples on the Web

For estate planners, CPAs, and financial advisors, the key takeaway is that tax tools should serve philanthropic intent, not drive it. —Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is the president of the New England Patriots Foundation, one of several philanthropic arms of the Kraft empire. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019

This structuring approach leverages the power of philanthropic capital to enable organizations with differing risk and return objectives to invest alongside each other while still achieving their own objectives. —Keith Ippel, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

The Forbes 400 2024 Philanthropy Breakdown For the fifth year in a row, the most philanthropic member of The Forbes 400 by percentage of net worth donated is hedge fund founder George Soros, who has given away 74% of his fortune. —Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for philanthropic

• arthroscopic
• barotropic
• cystoscopic
• endoscopic
• gyroscopic
• hygroscopic
• isentropic
• isotopic
• isotropic
• macroscopic
• microscopic
• orthotopic

Kids Definition

philanthropic

adjective

phil·​an·​throp·​ic ˌfil-ən-ˈthräp-ik 

: of, relating to, or devoted to philanthropy : charitable, benevolent

philanthropical

-ˈthräp-i-kəl

adjective