altruism

American  

[al-troo-iz-uhm] / ˈæl truˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (egoism ).

2. 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.

---

altruism British  

/ ˈæltruːˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

2. the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others

---

altruism Scientific  

/ ăl′tro̅o̅-ĭz′əm /

1. 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.

---

altruism Cultural  

1. A selfless concern for others.

---

Other Word Forms

• altruist noun
• altruistic adjective
• altruistically adverb
• hyperaltruism noun

Etymology

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 ( def. ); popularized through translation of A. Comte, who perhaps coined it, on the model of égoisme egoism ( def. )

Example Sentences

Karnofsky was the founder of a philanthropy that promoted effective altruism, a movement that was one of the first communities to take the potential power, and danger, of AI seriously.

From The Wall Street Journal

One of the areas of grey matter with the most pronounced and persistent changes was the so-called default mode network - which is involved in self-perception, empathy and altruism.

From BBC

His research ranged from the evolutionary dimension of human altruism to the logic of deceit and self-deception.

From The Wall Street Journal

Identifying this selfless decision brain activity, in multiple people, strongly suggests that altruism is hardwired in our brains; that it evolved to make us take care of others.

From BBC

In 2010, while at Oxford, she met William Crouch, who was helping to build the effective altruism movement, which tries to apply logic and reason to find the best way to help others.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• benevolence
• humanitarianism
• kindness
• selflessness