Word of the Day June 16, 2019

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. altruism, selflessness(noun)

   the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. altruism(Noun)

   Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; – opposed to egoism or selfishness.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Altruism(noun)

   regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; -- opposed to egoism or selfishness

Origin: [F. altruisme (a word of Comte's), It. altrui of or to others, fr. L. alter another.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Altruism

   Altruism or selflessness is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of "others" toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism or selflessness is the opposite of selfishness. Altruism can be distinguished from feelings of duty and loyalty. Altruism is a motivation to provide something of value to a party who must be anyone but one's self, while duty focuses on a moral obligation towards a specific individual, or collective. Pure altruism consists of sacrificing something for someone other than the self with no expectation of any compensation or benefits, either direct, or indirect. Much debate exists as to whether "true" altruism is possible. The theory of psychological egoism suggests that no act of sharing, helping or sacrificing can be described as truly altruistic, as the actor may receive an intrinsic reward in the form of personal gratification. The validity of this argument depends on whether intrinsic rewards qualify as "benefits."

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Altruism

   al′trōō-ism, n. the principle of living and acting for the interest of others.—adj. Altruist′ic.—adv. Altruist′ically. [Fr. altruisme, formed by Comte from It. altrui—L. alter, another.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Altruism

   a Comtist doctrine which inculcates sacrifice of self for the good of others as the rule of human action.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Altruism

   Consideration and concern for others, as opposed to self-love or egoism, which can be a motivating influence.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. altruism

   Is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of our fellow human beings.

   Many people define altruism as simply the concern for the welfare of others.

   Submitted by MC Harmonious on January 12, 2017  

Anagrams for Altruism »

1. ultraism

2. muralist

How to pronounce Altruism ?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Altruism in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Altruism in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Altruism in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of Altruism in a Sentence

1. Eric Gibson:

   Anonymity is the truest expression of altruism.

2. Greg Guma:

   Around the world, the message received is that, whoever wins [the U.S. election], expect only more of the same - national narcissism disguised as altruism, corporate appeasement, and the arbitrary use of U.S. military and economic might.

3. Peter Singer:

   If someone isn't sure whether to make the jump to effective altruism I would say give it a try, do it for a year, see how you like it, one person I know who's involved in The Life You Can Save said 'the life that I saved is my own, because I now really feel that I've got a purpose for my life, and its meaningful and I'm happy what I'm doing'.

4. Ayn Rand:

   The common good of a collective -- a race, a class, a state -- was the claim and justification of every tyranny ever established over men. Every major horror of history was committed in the name of an altruistic motive. Has any act of selfishness ever equaled the carnage perpetrated by disciples of altruism? Does the fault lie in men's hypocrisy or in the nature of the principle? The most dreadful butchers were the most sincere. The believed in the perfect society reached through the guillotine and the firing squad. Nobody questioned their right to murder since they were murdering for an altruistic purpose. It was accepted that man must be sacrificed for other men. Actors change, but the course of the tragedy remains the same. A humanitarian who starts with the declarations of love for mankind and ends with a sea of blood. It goes on and will go on so long as men believe that an action is good if it is unselfish. That permits the altruist to act and forces his victims to bear it. The leaders of collectivist movements ask nothing of themselves. But observe the results.

Images & Illustrations of Altruism

• إيثارArabic
• altruismeCatalan, Valencian
• altruismusCzech
• AltruismusGerman
• αλτρουϊσμόςGreek
• altruismoEsperanto
• altruismoSpanish
• altruismPersian
• altruismi, epäitsekkyysFinnish
• altruismeFrench
• altruismoGalician
• altruizmusHungarian
• altruismoItalian
• אלטרואיזםHebrew
• 利他主義, 利他Japanese
• ಪರಹಿತಚಿಂತನೆKannada
• 애타 주의Korean
• altruismLatin
• altruïsme, onbaatzuchtigheidDutch
• altruismeNorwegian
• altruizmPolish
• altruísmoPortuguese
• generozitate, altruismRomanian
• альтруизмRussian
• altruizamSerbo-Croatian
• altruismSwedish
• பிறருக்கு உதவும் இயல்புTamil
• альтруїзмUkrainian
• אַלטרויסםYiddish
• 利他主義Chinese