altruistic


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al·tru·ism

 (ăl′tro͞o-ĭz′əm)
n.
1. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.
2. Zoology Instinctive behavior that is detrimental to the individual but favors the survival or spread of that individual's genes, as by benefiting its relatives.

[French altruisme, probably from Italian altrui, someone else, from Latin alter, other; see al- in Indo-European roots.]

al′tru·ist n.
al′tru·is′tic adj.
al′tru·is′ti·cal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.altruistic - showing unselfish concern for the welfare of othersaltruistic - showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
unselfish - disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others
egocentric, egoistic, egoistical, self-centered, self-centred - limited to or caring only about yourself and your own needs
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

altruistic

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

altruistic

adjective
1. Characterized by kindness and concern for others:
2. Of or concerned with charity:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

altruistic

[ˌæltrʊˈɪstɪk] ADJaltruista
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

altruistic

[ˌæltruˈɪstɪk] adj [person] → altruiste; [reason, motive, objective] → altruiste; [attitude, approach] → altruiste
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

altruistic

adj, altruistically
advaltruistisch
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

altruistic

[ˌæltrʊˈɪstɪk] adjaltruistico/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
And as Prince Michael's eye rested upon the glowing face of the great clock in the tower, his smile, altruistic as it was, became slightly tinged with contempt.
"An altruistic act is an act performed for the welfare of others.
After that altruistic exploit Stevie was put to help wash the dishes in the basement kitchen, and to black the boots of the gentlemen patronising the Belgravian mansion.
'Martin Chuzzlewit' was a favorite book with him, and so was the 'Old Curiosity Shop.' No doubt a fancied affinity with Tom Pinch through their common love of music made him like that most sentimental and improbable personage, whom he would have disowned and laughed to scorn if he had met him in life; but it was a purely altruistic sympathy that he felt with Little Nell and her grandfather.
And the altruistic virtues have really prevented the carrying out of this aim.
'And a far greater flaw was that it was too altruistic. It boomed you and it boomed Jane, but I didn't get a thing out of it.
Your desire for profits, which is sheer selfishness, you metamorphose into altruistic solicitude for suffering humanity.
It was very simple, and at the end of that moving appeal to every altruistic sentiment it blazed at you, luminous and terrifying, like a flash of lightning in a serene sky:
It is built on such altruistic lines that an injury to any one part is the concern of all.
To legalize one-sided altruistic transfers, Congress would also need to provide that a transaction involving the transfer of a kidney is lawful if at least one of the parties does not receive or transfer valuable consideration (as defined above).
Instead, their behavior can be either altruistic or malicious.