Giving priority to others' welfare without seeking personal advantage.
Reach for it when praising generous action when a real personal benefit was set aside
The selfless neighbor used his only free morning to drive three families to the clinic.
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
everyday
Suits a habitually warm willingness to share
Careful It is broad and may not capture a costly choice made without advantage.
everyday
Fits when plain contrast with selfishness is enough
Careful The negative construction sounds restrained where strong admiration is intended.
warm
Fits when loyal care for a person or cause is sustained
Careful Devotion may be exclusive and can neglect people outside its focus.
warm
Fits when freely giving time, attention, or resources is visible
Careful Generosity can bring pleasure and does not always require putting oneself second.
professional
Fits when service advances the wider community
Careful It does not fit private care directed toward one person.
formal
Fits when benefit to others is the explicit motive
Careful Its technical tone can distance the warmth of a personal tribute.
formal
Fits when aid, gifts, or lenient judgment benefit others
Careful It can imply institutional giving or pity rather than personal selflessness.
literary
sacrificial
Fits when giving up something significant is essential to the praise
Careful Never use it for ordinary kindness or to romanticize harmful self-neglect.
selfless act
Giving the last dry blanket to a stranger was a selfless act.
selfless service
The town honored a decade of selfless service at the shelter.
truly selfless
Her choice was truly selfless because no one knew who had paid the fee.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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