unselfish

1 of 2

adjective

un·​self·​ish ˌən-ˈsel-fish How to pronounce unselfish (audio)
Synonyms of unselfishnext
: not selfish : generous
unselfishly adverb
unselfishness noun

unselfishness

2 of 2

noun

un·​selfishness
"+
: the quality or state of being unselfish

Synonyms of unselfish

Examples of unselfish in a Sentence

Adjective She's a very unselfish young woman. an unselfish man who spends much of his time helping his community
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
However, the unselfish captain has led MLS in assists so far, which may still bode well for South Korea. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 June 2026 Though Bridges’ clank to conclude the evening was hardly the reason for the defeat, the possession was exemplary of a rare issue for New York, one of the league’s cleverest and most unselfish squads. Fred Katz, New York Times, 10 June 2026 Everybody was completely unselfish. Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026 Fresh off a debut season that proved a star isn’t required to reach the playoffs, Golden State enters the WNBA draft searching for players who can seamlessly plug into a system built on depth, discipline and unselfish play. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unselfish

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unselfish was in 1698

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Cite this Entry

“Unselfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unselfish. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

unselfish

adjective
un·​self·​ish ˌən-ˈsel-fish How to pronounce unselfish (audio)
ˈən-
: not selfish : generous
unselfishly adverb
unselfishness noun

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