philanthropist

noun

Definition of philanthropistnext
as in benefactor
a wealthy person who gives money and time to help make life better for other people a philanthropist known to generously donate to those organizations that help the poor

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of philanthropist Novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has given more than $26 billion in unrestricted donations to nonprofits, including to colleges and universities. — Genevieve Shaker, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 At the suggestion of local philanthropists Mark and Robin Seigle, members were planning to donate any funding left beyond the above to create an arts scholarship at ECC in memory of Jones and Hamilton Wings. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 For his part, Nagendran is a philanthropist, physician, and biotechnology executive in Arizona who heads research and development at Taysha Gene Therapies. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Investor and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick have joined the company’s board, Skydance disclosed in a securities filing. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for philanthropist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for philanthropist
  1. benefactor
  2. donor
  3. donator
Noun
  • Democratic divide As Republican donors open their wallets, some of Democrats’ biggest benefactors are missing from the DNC’s donor rolls.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Harvard and its peer institutions won’t suddenly stop caring about their largest benefactors.
    — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefactor
Noun
  • In April, the Dells became the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime giving to the University of Texas at Austin.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Graft count, hairline work and beard procedures A patient requesting 5,000 grafts may not need that many, and the donor area may not have enough hair available to support the procedure.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of donor
Noun
  • Contributors can transfer stock to the Treasury, which will then invest the funds into accounts in line with the donator’s guidelines.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 6 July 2026
  • That’s the gold standard of cancer designations that allows patients and donators alike to understand Sylvester’s standards.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of donator

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Cite this Entry

“Philanthropist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philanthropist. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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