unselfish
An unselfish person thinks about others' needs before their own.
When we say someone is being unselfish, we usually mean they're willing to make sacrifices or give up something for the benefit of others. This can happen at work when a colleague asks for help with a project and you put in extra hours to get it done on time. Or it could be as simple as letting your sibling have the last slice of pizza because they're hungrier than you are. We often praise people for being unselfish, whether it's donating to charity or volunteering their time. The idea is that they're not doing it just for personal gain, but to genuinely help others.
How common is "unselfish"?
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
adjective
Not selfish
Example: The man was in an unselfish mood that day, so decided to give a £20 note to the next charity he came across.
Real examples of "unselfish" in context
