unselfishly

U1N1S1E1L1F4I1S1H4L1Y4

adverb

In an unselfish manner.

Opposite
selfishly
OriginEnglish selfish ← Middle English un- ← Old English un- →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

adverbunselfishly (comparative more unselfishly, superlative most unselfishly)

comparative more unselfishly · superlative most unselfishly

  1. In an unselfish manner.

    The brutal insouciance of her fellow immortals — whether her sharp-tongued mother, Perse; or chilly Hermes; or righteous Athena enraged — proves increasingly alien to this thoughtful and compassionate woman who learns to love unselfishly.

    2018 May 28, Claire Messud, “Turning Circe Into a Good Witch”, in The New York Times

    Antonyms: selfishly

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbIn an unselfish manner.

Opposite
selfishly

More synonyms by meaning

adverbin an unselfish manner

Opposite
selfishly
Also see
altruistically

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishselfish
  9. Englishunselfishly

From un- + selfish + -ly.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unselfishly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unselfishly

MLA

“unselfishly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unselfishly. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unselfishly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unselfishly.

Source: unselfishly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.