unselfish

adjective

un·​self·​ish ˌən-ˈsel-fish How to pronounce unselfish (audio)
Synonyms of unselfishnext
: not selfish : generous
unselfishly adverb
unselfishness noun

Synonyms of unselfish

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Examples of unselfish in a Sentence

She's a very unselfish young woman. an unselfish man who spends much of his time helping his community
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bellingham struck the post and again went close in the second half, before Güler competed the scoring thanks to unselfish play from Vinícius Júnior. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 The guys are unselfish and love each other, care about each other. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 But the actual healer of sorrow and wrong will always be divine Love, understood and expressed through our unselfish desire to help others. — Margaret Rogers, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026 However, the unselfish captain has led MLS in assists so far, which may still bode well for South Korea. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unselfish

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unselfish was in 1698

Rhymes for unselfish

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Browse Nearby Words

unselfconscious
unselfish
unselfishly
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Cite this Entry

“Unselfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unselfish. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

unselfish

adjective
un·​self·​ish ˌən-ˈsel-fish How to pronounce unselfish (audio)
ˈən-
: not selfish : generous
unselfishly adverb
unselfishness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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