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
The evening featured a panel on preventative care moderated by TIME executive editor Nikhil Kumar and ended with a round of toasts from three honorees, who spoke about the importance of long-term funding for health, reinterpreting the story around aging, and altruism to help those in medical need.
—
Charlotte Hu, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Feeding people is more than simple altruism.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Bankman-Fried was later imprisoned for fraud, and Anthropic’s leadership began to pretend that effective altruism did not exist.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The initiative was funded by an anonymous donor inspired by Pope Leo’s dedication to altruism.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for altruism
Charlotte Hu, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Feeding people is more than simple altruism.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Bankman-Fried was later imprisoned for fraud, and Anthropic’s leadership began to pretend that effective altruism did not exist.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The initiative was funded by an anonymous donor inspired by Pope Leo’s dedication to altruism.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for altruism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altruism
Noun
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His investment in human connection through generosity became his highest-performing sales channel.—
Chris Schembra,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
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The fallen soldiers, ages 20 to 42, earned praise from families for devotion to service, generosity and commitment to others.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Koepka had to pay $5 million to charity, was ineligible for PGA Tour equity shares for five years and did not have access to FedEx Cup bonus money this year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Chicago police on Wednesday warned of a string of charity scam incidents in the on the Near West and South sides in recent weeks.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lebda also was known for his philanthropy and other projects, including as co-chairman of the 2020 Republican National Convention held in Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2026
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The family, longtime members of a Conservative synagogue in the suburbs of Chicago, has a record of Jewish philanthropy.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Altruism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altruism. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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