Definition of ALTRUISM

Other Words from altruism

altruist \ -trü-ist

\ noun

altruistic \ ˌal-trü-ˈis-tik

\ adjective

altruistically \ -ti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

Altruism Has Roots in Latin and French

Altruism refers to a quality possessed by people whose focus is on something other than themselves, and its root reveals the object of those generous tendencies. Altruism derives from the French word autrui, meaning "other people." Autrui in turn developed from the Old French term autre, which means "other" and which itself comes from Latin alter, also meaning "other." That Latin source eventually caused a curious thing to happen. Under the influence of alter, the French autrui gave rise to the altrui- of both the French altruisme and the English altruism. The English term has been in use since at least the mid-1800s.

Examples of altruism in a Sentence

A few skimpy corporate pensions were paid, but they were offered as much as departure incentives designed to promote business efficiency as expressions of altruism. — W. Andrew Achenbaum, Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006 Mary may have ample resources and prefer that her share pass to her children who have greater need and are in lower income tax brackets. (The progressive nature of our tax laws often fosters such altruism among family members.) — William M. McGovern, Jr. et al., Wills, Trusts and Estates, 1988 And he still chokes up when he tells the story. Even at that young age, he understood that what his aunt was doing for him was the purest act of altruism. — Gail Sheehy, New York Times Magazine, 20 Apr. 1986

Recent Examples on the Web

Effective altruism is about trying to use your time and money as well as possible to help other people. — Sean Illing, Vox, "How to do good better," 14 Dec. 2018 Effective altruism can be a hard sell, even for the rationally minded. — The Economist, "Can “effective altruism” maximise the bang for each charitable buck?," 2 June 2018 Martin Biuw from the Institute of Marine Research in Nowary is skeptical of Hauser's claim that altruism is at play in the video. — National Geographic, "Whale Allegedly Protects Diver From Shark, But Questions Remain," 11 Jan. 2018 William Dean Howells envisioned an entire society based on altruism. — Leslie Lenkowsky, WSJ, "Five Best: Leslie Lenkowsky on Novels About Philanthropy," 7 Dec. 2018 To read more: For more of Vox’s coverage on effective altruism and the bigger project of making the world a better place, see our new vertical, Future Perfect. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "How to save a stranger’s life," 15 Oct. 2018 Scott has proven to be a generous soul in the music industry and his latest act of altruism is a true testament to that fact. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Travis Scott Played Fashion Santa to Seniors at This Houston High School," 18 Dec. 2018 The latest example of their altruism came Wednesday night (September 19) at their most recent stop on the couple’s On the Run II Tour, in Glendale, Arizona. — Dan Barna, Glamour, "Beyoncé and Jay-Z Just Surprised This Teenager With a $100,000 Scholarship," 21 Sep. 2018 Among them are: optimism, altruism, spirituality and acceptance of what can’t be changed. — Clare Ansberry, WSJ, "After Tragedy, How Survivors Cope," 30 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altruism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.