altruism

noun

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al·tru·ism | \ ˈal-trü-ˌi-zəm

Definition of altruism

1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others charitable acts motivated purely by altruism

2 : behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to itself but that benefits others of its species

Altruism Has Roots in Latin and French More Example Sentences Learn More about altruism

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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 During the pandemic, that reliance on altruism has proved insufficient, as the public’s opportunity and willingness to give were upended. — Lauren Caruba, San Antonio Express-News, "'At the brink of a disaster': San Antonio's ongoing blood shortages jeopardize patient care," 15 Apr. 2021 Addressing this is less a matter of altruism than accounting. — NBC News, "Pandemic silver lining? Employers start to recognize importance of caregiving benefits," 7 Apr. 2021 The backlash raises questions about whether wealth influences altruism. — Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, "Kylie Jenner, the GoFundMe controversy and the psychology of being so 'out of touch'," 23 Mar. 2021 The work, supervised by Rutgers graduate student and Maasai member Dennis Sonkoi, has helped to show that peer-to-peer altruism can benefit an entire population. — Rachel Feltman, Popular Science, "Sharing doesn’t make you a sucker. This scientist has the numbers to prove it.," 7 Dec. 2020 But public health experts say this isn't just altruism. — Dr. Abarna Ramanathan, ABC News, "Why America should help vaccinate the world against COVID-19: 'This is not charity'," 16 Mar. 2021 Their altruism offers an antidote to the actions of vaccine line jumpers. — Winston Gieseke, USA TODAY, "Newsom: California reopening plan to get a new, green tier," 11 Mar. 2021 Lowe's will make employees available on a volunteer basis to advise project winners on the best materials to use and how to execute the projects, giving the home improvement retailer an opportunity to win new customers in addition to its altruism. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, "Lowe’s aims to fund local community repair projects as sales streak continues," 9 Mar. 2021 Among the themes that emerged during the conference was the necessity for all public and private entities to expand diversity in hiring, if not out of altruism, then out of raw, economic self-interest. — Steven Litt, cleveland, "Will big ideas from “Building the 21st Century City’' symposium shape Cleveland’s future?," 5 Mar. 2021

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.