overgenerous

adjective

over·​gen·​er·​ous ˌō-vər-ˈje-nə-rəs How to pronounce overgenerous (audio)
-ˈjen-rə-
: excessively generous
Drowning in gifts from overgenerous grandparents? Encourage your child to donate a few to kids who have less.Today's Parent
His usually sympathetic, sometimes overgenerous interpretation of others' motives has been a hallmark of his character at least since his student days.Hendrik Hertzberg
overgenerously adverb
… the notion that the city's workers are overgenerously paid … The Record Searchlight (Redding, California)
In fact, the house salad would have been perfect had not a tart, bottled-tasting dressing been overgenerously ladled on top. Susan Braunstein
overgenerously describes itself as "one of America's greatest newspapers," … The Washington Post

Examples of overgenerous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Father, who knew Mother and her overgenerous impulses well, had left a remarkable will in which Mother was the major immediate beneficiary. James Roosevelt, Good Housekeeping, 5 May 2022 The lure of better numbers, more carrot than stick, was energizing in itself, even if the ring’s criteria seemed kind of arbitrary, maybe overgenerous. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021 In Washington, lawmakers have seized on the matter for political purposes, with Republicans complaining that the labor supply issues are the direct result of overgenerous stimulus measures passed by Democrats earlier this year. Washington Post, 10 May 2021 The large number of unemployed will keep a lid on wages once the overgenerous federal unemployment benefits run out in early September. Robert Barone, Forbes, 4 Apr. 2021 In McGann’s perhaps overgenerous account, Continue reading for just $1 an issue. Evan Kindley, The New York Review of Books, 11 Feb. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overgenerous was in 1719

Dictionary Entries Near overgenerous

Cite this Entry

“Overgenerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overgenerous. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on overgenerous

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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