Meanings
nounselflessness (usually uncountable, plural selflessnesses)
plural selflessnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe quality or state of being selfless.
But the truth is that I came to cherish Japan’s civility and selflessness.
2011 March 19, Nicholas Kristof, “The Japanese Could Teach Us a Thing or Two”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: self-denial, unselfishness · Antonyms: selfishness
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounacting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swé?
- Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*selbaz
- Old Englishself
- Middle Englishself
- Englishself
- Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
- Proto-Germanic*leusaną
- Proto-Germanic*lausaz
- Englishselfless
- Englishselflessness
Translations
Arabic إِيثَار, غَيْرِيَّة
- إِيثَار (ʔīṯār)quality or state of being selfless
- غَيْرِيَّة (ḡayriyya)quality or state of being selfless
Bulgarian самоотверже́ност, безкори́стност
- самоотверже́ност (samootveržénost)quality or state of being selfless
- безкори́стност (bezkorístnost)quality or state of being selfless
French altruisme
- altruismequality or state of being selfless
German Selbstlosigkeit
- Selbstlosigkeitquality or state of being selfless
Hungarian önzetlenség
- önzetlenségquality or state of being selfless
Korean 멸사
- 멸사 (myeolsa)quality or state of being selfless
Persian ایثار, نوعدوستی
- ایثار (isâr)quality or state of being selfless
- نوعدوستی (now'-dusti)quality or state of being selfless
Polish bezinteresowność
- bezinteresownośćquality or state of being selfless
Russian самоотве́рженность, бескоры́стность
- самоотве́рженность (samootvéržennostʹ)quality or state of being selfless
- бескоры́стность (beskorýstnostʹ)quality or state of being selfless
Spanish altruismo, abnegación
- altruismoquality or state of being selfless
- abnegaciónquality or state of being selfless
- desprendimientoquality or state of being selfless
- desinterésquality or state of being selfless
Ukrainian самові́дданість
- самові́дданість (samovíddanistʹ)quality or state of being selfless
Cite this entry
APA
selflessness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selflessness
MLA
“selflessness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selflessness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “selflessness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selflessness.
Source: selflessness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.