unselfish

adjective

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

Examples of unselfish in a Sentence

She's a very unselfish young woman. an unselfish man who spends much of his time helping his community
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Pacers were unselfish and celebrated their teammates’ success. Tony East, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025 For years, coach Geno Auriemma has been urging Bueckers to be less concerned with distributing, less with being unselfish more concerned with taking over, hunting and taking and making her shot. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025 In the final stages, Gibbs-White’s unselfish attitude was underlined by Forest’s fourth goal. Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025 The Warriors’ offensive philosophy is predicated on ball movement and unselfish play. Mark Lasota, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unselfish

Word History

First Known Use

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 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

unselfish

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

More from Merriam-Webster on unselfish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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