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.
Ball movement and unselfish play continued to uplift them even though their talent was lacking. C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 29 Nov. 2024 Biffle’s unselfish efforts as part of Operation Helidrop spearheaded NASCAR’s mobilization to help those who desperately needed food, water, medicine, clothing and housing. Bruce Martin, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 The Phillies' 'unselfish baseball' mentality offers a path Forest hoping to have Gibbs-White for Palace game Analyzing Cowboys snap counts: How both lines shuffled and made things work Did Wisconsin's offense turn a corner against Purdue? New York Times, 8 Oct. 2024 To take a benching, as competitive Taurasi is, in a way speaks to the unselfish nature of this team. Chantel Jennings, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near unselfish

Cite this Entry

“Unselfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unselfish. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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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