Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being more concerned with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own; unselfishness. This is the core meaning, describing a character trait or state of mind focused on others' welfare.
   • The act or fact of putting the aims or success of a group before one's own personal aims. This meaning emphasizes action within a collaborative context, prioritizing a shared goal.

Usage and Examples

• As a general character trait:
  • Her lifelong selflessness was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.
  • True leadership requires a degree of selflessness.
• In the context of a joint activity or sacrifice:
  • The team's victory was due to the selflessness of its players, who passed the ball to whoever had the best shot.
  • We admire the selflessness of the volunteers who worked long hours for no pay.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Selflessness" vs. "Altruism": While often used interchangeably, "altruism" can have a stronger philosophical connotation of a principle or belief in disinterested concern, whereas "selflessness" often describes a more personal quality or a specific act.
• Implied Virtue: The word almost always carries a strongly positive connotation, denoting a moral virtue.
• Contexts of Use: Commonly used in discussions of ethics, leadership, caregiving, teamwork, heroism, and philanthropy.

Variants and Related Words

• Selfless (adjective): Having or showing great concern for other people and little or no concern for oneself.
  • She was a selfless humanitarian.
• Selflessly (adverb): In a selfless manner.
  • He worked selflessly for the community.

Synonyms

• Altruism: The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
• Unselfishness: The quality of not putting one's own interests first; willingness to share.
• Self-sacrifice: The act of giving up one's own interests or wishes in order to help others or achieve a goal.
• Generosity: The quality of being kind and generous (often with resources, but can extend to spirit).

Antonyms

• Selfishness: The quality or state of being concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.
• Egoism: An ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality; more generally, excessive concern for oneself.
• Self-centeredness: Preoccupied with oneself and one's affairs.

Idiomatic Expressions and Phrases

• An act of selflessness: A specific deed demonstrating this quality.
  • Donating his kidney to a stranger was an incredible act of selflessness.
• With characteristic selflessness: Doing something in a way that is typical of one's unselfish nature.
  • She offered her seat to the elderly man with characteristic selflessness.

Noun

1. acting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity
2. the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others