noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The quality or state of being selfless. uncountable, usually

   "But the truth is that I came to cherish Japan’s civility and selflessness."

2. 2
   acting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity wordnet
3. 3
   the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

altruismaltruismcommitmentconsecrationdedicationdetachment

Antonyms

All antonyms

selfishness

Example

More examples

"In the old days people valued selflessness. But this generation seems to make a virtue out of selfishness."

Etymology

From selfless + -ness.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.