Willing to give proper weight to another person's needs instead of seeking personal advantage.
Reach for it when praising a choice that sacrifices credit, comfort, time, or opportunity for someone else
Her unselfish choice gave the final travel grant to the student who had no other route.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
playful
Fits when affectionate praise for generous character suits
Careful Big-hearted is informal and focuses on warmth rather than the decision made.
everyday
Fits when another person's needs are noticed in a routine choice
Careful Consideration may cost nothing, while unselfish often highlights a competing self-interest.
everyday
Fits when freely giving time, resources, or credit is visible
Careful Generosity can come from abundance and need not involve giving up an advantage.
warm
Fits when habitual generosity should sound personal
Careful Giving is broad and can describe gifts without a difficult tradeoff.
warm
Fits when another person's welfare is placed wholly before one's own
Careful Selfless is a stronger, almost absolute claim and can glorify unhealthy self-neglect.
formal
Fits when concern for others motivates an action in analytical prose
Careful Altruistic sounds clinical and may overclaim pure motives.
formal
Fits when service to the wider community is central
Careful Public-spirited does not fit private sacrifice for one friend or relative.
literary
Fits when generosity toward a rival or defeated person is notable
Careful Magnanimous is grand and status-laden for ordinary sharing.
unselfish act
The unselfish act meant taking the less convenient shift without announcing it.
unselfish decision
His unselfish decision kept the scholarship open for applicants without family support.
truly unselfish
A truly unselfish offer leaves the recipient free to decline.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
Your browser isn't saving lists, so this one will be cleared when you leave the page.