charity

charity 1 *mercy, clemency, grace, lenity

Analogous words: love, affection, *attachment: benevolence, humaneness, altruism (see corresponding adjectives at CHARITABLE): benignity, benignancy, kindness, kindliness (see corresponding adjectives at KIND): generousness or generosity, liberalness or liberality, bountifulness or bounty, openhandedness (see corresponding adjectives at LIBERAL): goodwill, amity, *friendship

Antonyms: malice, ill will

Contrasted words: malevolence, malignity, malignancy, spite, spleen (see MALICE)

2 Charity, philanthropy are comparable in several of their meanings. Both words denote basically a love for one's fellowmen and a disposition to help those who are in need.

But charity in this sense tends to suggest a Christian virtue and the will to help, as well as the deed, whenever the occasion arises

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alas for the rarity of Christian charity under the sun!— Hood

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melt not in an acid sect the Christian pearl of charity— Whittier

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Philanthropy in this sense is much vaguer because it usually implies a love of mankind and a disposition to help the community or one's fellowmen rather than the individual

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this philanthropy ... is everywhere manifest in our author— Dryden

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Consequently there is a tendency to think of charity as benevolence manifested especially in public or private provision for the relief of the poor, and of philanthropy as benevolence manifested in efforts to promote the welfare or well-being of one's fellowmen; thus, out of charity one provides for the support of a destitute orphan ; out of philanthropy one sends a large gift of money to an educational institution

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in benevolence, they excel in charity, which alleviates individual suffering, rather than in philanthropy, which deals with large masses and is more frequently employed in preventing than in allaying calamity— Lecky

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The terms also may be applied to what is done or given out of charity or philanthropy or to an institution or cause which is the object of such benefaction

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the cold philanthropies, the ostentatious public charities ... he exposed with utter and relentless scorn— Wilde

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many charities and many philanthropies were aided by him during his lifetime

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