altruism
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altruism
- /ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/
Where it comes from
From French altruisme, which was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui (“of or to others”) + -isme, from Old French, from Latin alteri, dative of alter (“other”) (whence also English alter). Apparently inspired by the French Latin legal phrase l'autrui, from le bien, le droit d'autrui (“the good, the right of the other”). Introduced into English by George Henry Lewes in 1853, in his translation Comte’s Philosophy of the Sciences, 1, xxi.
noun altruisms · altruïsm
-
Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness.
The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
Similar: selflessness, philanthropy · Opposite: egoism, selfishness, misanthropy
-
Action or behaviour that benefits another or others at some cost to the performer.
Altruism is a behaviour of an individual that benefits another at its own expense.[…]She decided to investigate what motivates ants to undertake these dangerous missions, where they risk getting trapped themselves or, worse, eaten by predatory antlion larvae, which dig pits and lurk, semi-concealed,
Similar: philanthropy
Translations
Every language
noun policy that benefits others' interests
| Español | altruismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 이타주의 itajuui, 이타 ita, 이타심 itasim |
| 日本語 | 利他主義 ritashugi, 利他 rita |
| 中文 | 利他主義 /利他主义 lìtāzhǔyì, 愛他主義 /爱他主义 àitāzhǔyì, 利他 lìtā |
| हिन्दी | परहितवाद parhitvād |
| Português | altruísmo |
| Français | altruisme |
| Deutsch | Altruismus, Selbstlosigkeit, Uneigennützigkeit |
| Italiano | altruismo |
| Ελληνικά | αλτρουισμός altrouismós |
| Română | altruism, generozitate |
| Русский | альтруи́зм alʹtruízm |
| Tiếng Việt | chủ nghĩa vị tha |
| العربية | إِيثَار ʔīṯār, غَيْرِيَّة ḡayriyya |
Talk about this word "altruism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/altruism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. altruism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/altruism "altruism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/altruism.Cite this
@misc{altruism_2026,
title = {altruism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/altruism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
