altruism

[ al-troo-iz-uhm ]

See synonyms for altruism on Thesaurus.com

noun

the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism).
Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.

Origin of altruism

First recorded in 1850–55; from French altruisme, equivalent to autru(i) “others” (with -ui from Latin cui “to whom”; -l- restored from Latin alter “other”) + -isme -ism; popularized through translation of A. Comte, who perhaps coined it, on the model of égoisme egoism

Other words from altruism

hy·per·al·tru·ism, noun

Words Nearby altruism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use altruism in a sentence

The altruism these three companies express is not driven by profits, but it could have a positive effect on their bottom lines.
To court socially minded millennials, some wineries are investing in more than grapes | Dave McIntyre | January 22, 2021 | Washington Post
The reason she joined the trial in the first place was altruism, and a sense of contributing to the quest for vaccines, rather than her own possible early access to a shot, she said.
Elderly begin to drop out of Novavax vaccine trial to get Pfizer and Moderna shots | Christopher Rowland | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post
We often see examples of altruism and people living together.
Humans Have Gotten Nicer and Better at Making War - Issue 94: Evolving | Steve Paulson | January 6, 2021 | Nautilus
An fMRI experiment examining the neural bases of altruism found that when people gave to charities, brain areas associated with pleasure and social attachment were activated—something known as the “warm glow” effect.
How to spend your money for maximum happiness | Gulnaz Khan | December 21, 2020 | Popular-Science
Stories about altruism, culture, fashion history, sustainability and ethical production became top topics that readers were reading and searching for.
How Vogue’s international approach to audience data helped it reach record readers | Kayleigh Barber | December 18, 2020 | Digiday

And the men, of course, cannot always, or probably even usually, be acting out of altruism.
Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank | Elizabeth Picciuto | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He believes brain chemistry undermines his sense of free will and personhood and that psychology explains away love and altruism.
Frank Schaeffer, the Atheist Who Believes in God | Nick Tabor | August 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course, Ford was motivated more by self-interest than by altruism.
Henry Ford Understood That Raising Wages Would Bring Him More Profit | Daniel Gross | January 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But following Black Hawk Down, it became clear that international altruism could be costly.
Black Hawk Down’s Long Shadow | Daniel Klaidman | October 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Ant and the Peacock is about two disagreements between Darwin and Wallace: altruism and sexual selection.
What Richard Dawkins Reads: Jerry Coyne, Helena Cronin and More | Josh Dzieza | September 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This country reaps the benefit of this first step in altruism based on the highest Christian and democratic doctrines.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts
He made no concessions to any man; pity and altruism were not in his vocabulary.
The Transformation of Job | Frederick Vining Fisher
Charity, kindness, altruism, all the gentler emotions—I foreswore them.
The Secret Witness | George Gibbs
The new Klan, in its great piety and altruism denies that it has an initiation fee at all.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry
On this basis sufficient inspiration for personal righteousness and altruism is afforded by the world's need of just these things.
The Minister and the Boy | Allan Hoben

British Dictionary definitions for altruism

altruism

/ (ˈæltruːˌɪzəm) /

noun

the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others

Origin of altruism

C19: from French altruisme, from Italian altrui others, from Latin alterī, plural of alter other

Compare egoism
See also utilitarianism

Derived forms of altruism

altruist, noun
altruistic, adjective
altruistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for altruism

altruism

[ ăl′trōō-ĭz′əm ]

Instinctive behavior that is detrimental or without reproductive benefit to the individual but that favors the survival or spread of that individual's genes. The willingness of a subordinate member of a wolf pack to forgo mating and help care for the dominant pair's pups is an example of altruistic behavior. While the individual may not reproduce, or may reproduce less often, its behavior helps ensure that a close relative does successfully reproduce, thus passing on a large share of the altruistic individual's genetic material.

Cultural definitions for altruism

altruism

[ (al-trooh-iz-uhm) ]

A selfless concern for others.

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