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.
As a basketball player, Earvin was much more unselfish. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025 Showing that unselfish manner, Waishwell created some of the strongest scoring threats for the upset-minded Griffins in a 3-0 loss to O’Fallon in a Class 3A Bloomington Supersectional. Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025 But Ogren’s teammates understand the importance of an unselfish leader like her. Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025 Bartelt’s steady leadership and unselfish approach to the game put him among the best. Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 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 12 Jun. 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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