# charitable

/ˈtʃæɹətəbəɫ/ (US) · /tʃˈæɹɪtəbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/charitable
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. helping people in need

adjective · CEFR B2

relating to organisations that help people who are poor, sick, or in need.

For teachers: relating to the assistance of those in need or the formal status of a non-profit organisation.

- The school held a bake sale to raise money for a charitable cause.
- The foundation maintains its charitable status by proving that its primary activities provide a clear benefit to the public rather than private shareholders.

Usage: Often used before a noun to describe organisations, donations, or work.

### 2. kind and forgiving

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

being kind and generous when you judge other people's actions or words.

For teachers: characterised by kindness or leniency in judging others; disposed to think well of people.

- He gave a charitable interpretation of her mistake, saying she was just tired.
- Even a charitable reading of the report suggests that the management team was significantly underprepared for the crisis.

Teaching tip: In modern English, this sense is often used when someone is trying to be 'nice' about a bad situation or a poor performance.

## Examples

- The local business made a charitable donation to the hospital.
- She is very charitable with her time and spends every Saturday morning volunteering at the animal shelter.
- A more charitable interpretation of his silence would be that he was simply overwhelmed, rather than being intentionally rude or dismissive of our concerns.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.