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Ubuntu

n. kind, thoughtful warm

What it means

A view of personhood rooted in shared humanity and mutual care.

Reach for it when Naming an African ethic in which people flourish through one another.

The rebuilding circle invoked ubuntu before deciding how to share tools and labor.

Words to choose between 6

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

  • everyday

    communal care

    Fits when neighbors actively looking after one another

    Not when less apt for the philosophy behind that care

  • warm

    compassion

    Fits when mercy toward someone who is suffering

    Not enough when reciprocity is central

  • warm

    shared humanity

    Fits when emphasizing dignity held in common

    Not when too broad for ubuntu's reciprocal moral tradition

  • professional

    solidarity

    Fits when people standing together in common cause

    Not chiefly about identity formed through relationship

  • formal

    social kinship

    Fits when describing bonds across a whole community

    Not when can imply relation without ubuntu's duty of care

  • literary

    fellow feeling

    Fits when warm recognition of another person's experience

    Not when too individual for a community-wide ethic

Opposites 3

  • alienation
  • selfishness
  • dehumanization

Common phrases 3

  • ubuntu philosophy

    Ubuntu philosophy shaped the cooperative's restorative meeting.

  • spirit of ubuntu

    A spirit of ubuntu guided the neighbors through the lean winter.

  • ubuntu ethic

    The ubuntu ethic placed restored relationships above punishment.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Lengau, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated