Random act of kindness

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Grammarist

The term random act of kindness is a rare phrase that we know exactly when it was coined and by whom. We will examine the meaning of the phrase random act of kindness, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

A random act of kindness is an action that is performed for another, usually a stranger, simply to bring that person happiness. Someone who performs a random act of kindness expects nothing in return. Often, the person who performs the random act of kindness does not even see the reaction of the person who receives the kindness. Some examples of a random act of kindness are paying the toll for the car behind you at the toll booth, or leaving a kind note in a library book for someone else to find. The plural form is random acts of kindness. The term random act of kindness was coined in 1982 by Anne Herbert, who wrote a book by the same name in 1993. The full, original phrase is random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Her expression was an attempt to counteract the phrase random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty.

Examples

Near the top of the feel-good stories we’ve read lately is this viral campaign to reward a homeless man for his random act of kindness. (Golf Digest)

The Topeka Police Department experienced a random act of kindness Tuesday when a woman anonymously bought lunch for some officers. (The Topeka Capitol Journal)

The occupational therapy department at Wedge Gardens Treatment Centre is calling on the local community to helps its mission of spreading random acts of kindness during the festive season. (The North Eastern Tribune)