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Charity

n. kind, hopeful everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Voluntary help or resources given to relieve need.

Reach for it when naming the act or practice of giving rather than the giver's character

The concert turned local talent into practical charity for displaced families.

Meaning 2

An organization established to provide public benefit or relief.

Reach for it when identifying the kind of organization doing the work

The housing charity publishes its costs and outcomes each year.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
  • Charity (this word)
warm
professional
  • Charity (this word)
formal

Meaning 1: Voluntary help or resources given to relieve need.

  • warm

    giving

    Fits when the personal practice should sound direct and human

    Careful Giving includes gifts with no relief or public-benefit purpose.

  • professional

    aid

    Fits when concrete assistance during need or crisis is the point

    Careful Aid may come from governments or contracts rather than voluntary generosity.

  • professional

    philanthropy

    Fits when organized private support pursues lasting public benefit

    Careful Philanthropy often suggests scale and strategy beyond ordinary charity.

  • formal

    almsgiving

    Fits when religious or traditional giving to poor people is specifically meant

    Careful Its historical and religious associations are too narrow for most modern support.

Meaning 2: An organization established to provide public benefit or relief.

  • everyday

    nonprofit

    Fits when legal or operating structure is the relevant label

    Careful Not every nonprofit is charitable, and some charities use other structures.

  • warm

    cause

    Fits when inviting support for the mission matters more than legal identity

    Careful A cause is an aim, not necessarily an accountable organization.

  • formal

    foundation

    Fits when a grant-making body or endowed institution is intended

    Careful Many charities deliver services directly and are not foundations.

Opposites 3

  • self-interest
  • withholding
  • business

Common phrases 3

  • give to charity

    Several artists chose to give to charity from the exhibition proceeds.

  • local charity

    A local charity matched elderly residents with volunteer drivers.

  • registered charity

    The registered charity posts its annual accounts online.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated