Basic Details
Word: Magnanimous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful than you.
Synonyms: generous, forgiving, big-hearted, gracious
Antonyms: petty, mean, spiteful, vindictive
Word origin: Comes from Latin magnanimus, from magnus, great, and animus, soul or mind.
How to Spell Magnanimous
Syllables: mag - nan - i - mous
Tricky part: The vowels go a, a, i, then ous at the end: mag-nan-i-mous. The i before mous is the letter most often turned into an a.
Watch out for: magnanamous, magnanimus, magananimous
Memory tip: Break it into magn (great, as in Magna Carta and magnify), anim (spirit, as in animate) and ous: a person with a great spirit.
Usage Examples
Example 1: It was magnanimous of her to share the prize money with the runner-up.
Example 2: The king was magnanimous and freed the soldiers who had fought against him.
Example 3: Be magnanimous and forgive your brother for breaking your pen.
Fun Fact
After defeating King Porus at the river Hydaspes (the Jhelum) in 326 BC, Alexander is said to have given him back his kingdom, a story often told as an example of a magnanimous victor.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to magnanimous as used in the sentence:
The champion was magnanimous in victory and praised her young opponent's courage in front of the crowd.
a) gracious
b) big-hearted
c) petty
d) generous
Show answer
c) petty. A magnanimous winner is generous of spirit; a petty one is small-minded, while the other three are synonyms.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
magn_n_mous
a) i, i
b) a, a
c) e, a
d) a, i
Show answer
d) a, i. Mag-nan-i-mous: both missing letters come from anim, the Latin for spirit, a after the first n and i after the second.
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. vindictive 2. magnanimus 3. cantankerous 4. gregarious
a) wanting to hurt someone who has hurt you
b) generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival
c) fond of being with other people
d) bad-tempered and always complaining
Show answer
b) generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival. Magnanimus has lost the o of its ous ending; the word is magnanimous.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action is magnanimous?
a) forgiving a rival who cheated you
b) laughing at the team that lost
c) refusing to share your lunch
d) keeping the whole prize yourself
Show answer
a) forgiving a rival who cheated you
2. A magnanimous winner is likely to ____ the losing side.
a) shake hands with
b) make fun of
c) refuse to greet
d) boast in front of
Show answer
a) shake hands with
