Public-spirited
adj.kind, hopefulwarm
What it means
Motivated to improve community life and willing to contribute to the common good.
Reach for it when praising civic-minded action that benefits people beyond one's private circle
Public-spirited shopkeepers funded benches and shade trees along the high street.
Choose between these
6- everyday
good citizen
when accessible praise links conduct with civic responsibility
not when Good citizen can sound moralizing and may reward conformity rather than service.
- warm
for a practical orientation toward neighbors and shared needs
not when Community-minded is broader and may describe supportive attitudes rather than action.
- warm
for direct, friendly help among people who live near one another
not when Neighborly is personal and local, not necessarily civic in scale.
- professional
when active concern for local institutions and community duties is central
not when Civic-minded can focus on participation without personal generosity.
- professional
socially responsible
when conduct accounts for wider social consequences
not when Socially responsible often describes organizations and can include compliance rather than initiative.
- formal
if concern for others is pursued without expected personal gain
not when Altruistic applies beyond public life and makes a strong claim about motive.
Said against
3- self-serving
- antisocial
- civically indifferent
It naturally appears in
3- public-spirited citizen
A public-spirited citizen organized rides to every council hearing.
- public-spirited gesture
Opening the courtyard for free concerts was a public-spirited gesture.
- public-spirited initiative
The public-spirited initiative matched retired tutors with local students.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: concerned for the welfare of the community opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.