as in generosity
feelings and behavior that show a desire to help other people and a lack of selfishness
charitable acts motivated purely by altruism In one final act of altruism, she donated almost all of her money to the hospital.
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Recent Examples of altruism
My father, for all of his altruism and cultural literacy, never moved away from his hometown.
—
Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
One XPrize Healthspan donor, Daniel Krizek, a biotech-fund manager who plans to invest a billion dollars in longevity, espouses the values of effective altruism.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Through their foundation, the Kims look to support high school students with the same passion for altruism as their son.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 22 July 2025
Trump has thus ended—or at least paused—the U.S. policy of strategic altruism.
—Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for altruism
Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
One XPrize Healthspan donor, Daniel Krizek, a biotech-fund manager who plans to invest a billion dollars in longevity, espouses the values of effective altruism.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Through their foundation, the Kims look to support high school students with the same passion for altruism as their son.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 22 July 2025
Trump has thus ended—or at least paused—the U.S. policy of strategic altruism.
—Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for altruism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altruism
Noun
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There’s such generosity in the book.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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In an inspiring act of kindness and generosity, tournament angler Tripp Berlinsky turned the biggest win of his college fishing career into an opportunity to give back.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Van Dyke clearly has done something right, making it to 99 years old and staying spry enough to attend buzzy charity galas and become a verified gym bro.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
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The short, which has partnered with LGBTQ+ charity MindOut, won best sci-fi at the HollyShorts Film Festival in August as well as the grand prize at London’s Ealing Film Festival.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Earlier, Combs wept as his defense lawyers played a video in court portraying his family life, career and philanthropy.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
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Women who are leaders at companies and organizations (including philanthropies) with at least $25 million in annual revenue in at least one of the past three years, or an enterprise value of $100 million for private companies and $250 million for public companies can submit a nomination.—
CNBC.com staff,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Altruism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altruism. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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