selfless

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *swé?

Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der.

Proto-Germanic *selbaz

Old English self

Middle English self

English self

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

English -less

English selfless

From self + -less.

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Adjective

selfless (comparative more selfless, superlative most selfless)

Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish.
In a selfless act of gratitude for saving his mother's life, Peter committed to giving money to his local breast cancer charity each year for the rest of his life.
- 2011 October 3, Natalie Angier, “The Pathological Altruist Gives Till Someone Hurts”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 January 2025:
  Because a certain degree of selfless behavior is essential to the smooth performance of any human group, selflessness run amok can crop up in political contexts.

Derived terms

Translations

having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself; unselfish

Arabic: غَيْرِيّ (ḡayriyy), إِيثَارِيّ (ʔīṯāriyy)
Belarusian: самаадда́ны (samaaddány), самаахвя́рны (samaaxvjárny), бескарысто́ўны (bjeskarystówny), некары́слівы (njekarýslivy)
Bulgarian: самоотве́ржен (bg) (samootvéržen), безкори́стен (bg) (bezkorísten), самоотве́ржен (bg) (samootvéržen), себеотрицателен (bg) (sebeotricatelen)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 無私 / 无私 (zh) (wúsī), 公而忘私 (zh) (gōng'érwàngsī), 忘我的 (zh) (wàngwǒ de)
Czech: obětavý, nesobecký
Esperanto: egoisma
Finnish: epäitsekäs (fi), pyyteetön (fi)
French: dévoué (fr), altruiste (fr)
Georgian: თავდაუზოგავი (tavdauzogavi), თავდადებული (tavdadebuli)
German: selbstlos (de), uneigennützig (de)
Greek: ανιδιοτελής (el) (anidiotelís), αφίλαυτος (afílaftos), φιλάλληλος (el) (filállilos), αλτρουιστής (el) (altrouistís)
Hungarian: önzetlen (hu)
Italian: altruista (it), altruistico (it), disinteressato (it)
Japanese: 無私無欲の (むしむよくの, mushimuyoku no)
Korean: 이타적(利他的) (itajeok), 리타적(利他的) (ritajeok) (North Korea), 사심 없는 (sasim eomneun)
Kyrgyz: өзгөчүл (özgöcül)
Macedonian: несебичен (nesebičen)
Manx: neuhondagh
Polish: ofiarny (pl), bezinteresowny (pl)
Portuguese: altruísta (pt), desinteressado (pt) m
Romanian: dezinteresat (ro)
Russian: самоотве́рженный (ru) (samootvéržennyj), бескоры́стный (ru) (beskorýstnyj)
Slovak: obetavý, nesebecký
Spanish: desinteresado (es), abnegado (es), altruista (es)
Swedish: osjälvisk (sv)
Tamil: தன்னலமற்ற (taṉṉalamaṟṟa)
Turkish: fedakâr (tr), özgecil (tr), özverili (tr)
Ukrainian: самові́дданий (samovíddanyj), безкори́сливий (uk) (bezkorýslyvyj), некори́сливий (nekorýslyvyj)