In the painting, the enslaved and (as conjectured by historian Steven Weisenburger) sexually abused Margaret Garner betrays her liaison with her owner Archibald Gaines with an exposed, openhanded gesture toward him.
Source: wiktionary
Openhanded
Synonyms for "openhanded" (74 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (15)
Strong matches (22)
Related words (37)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: liberal, apparent, benevolent, big, big.
- Sentence evidence is available for openhanded, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "openhanded".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "openhanded"
Keep "openhanded" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "openhanded" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "openhanded", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "openhanded" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesbody language featurecharacter traitmoral attributenonverbal gestureorganizational practicepolicy descriptor
More specific
9 entriesbigheartedbroad accesslavishmunificentopen enrollmentopen hand gestureopen palmoutstretched handunrestricted funding
Collocations
6 entriesopenhanded donoropenhanded endowmentopenhanded fundingopenhanded grantmakingopenhanded philanthropyopenhanded policy
Inflections
2 entriesmore openhandedmost openhanded
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
1 entriesSample sentences
11 total sentences available.
And when I did not answer, f-for my mouth was t-too dry for speech, he asked again, and I stammered out some nonsense, and then he struck me, openhanded, as though I was not a man.
Source: wiktionary
In the economic realm, because of its temporary preponderance, the United States could afford to be openhanded.
Source: wiktionary
Yet he understood nothing of real magnanimity; his charity was part of an openhanded recklessness, which made him fling the goods of fortune to the wind as soon as gained—part of the character of grand seigneur he aspired to assume.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 11 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "openhanded"?
Closest matches include liberal, apparent, benevolent, big, big.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "openhanded"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.