What does unselfish mean?
Word: Unselfish
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Unselfish means ready to think of other people's needs before your own.
Synonyms: selfless, generous, kind, giving
Antonyms: selfish, self-centred
How do you spell unselfish?
Syllables: un - self - ish
Tricky part: There is one l and one f, so nothing is doubled. Students write unsellfish or unselffish.
Watch out for: unsellfish, unselfsh, unselffish
Memory tip: An unselfish person takes no more than a fair share, and the word takes no extra l or f either.
Unselfish in a sentence
Example 1: Sharing her packed lunch with the new girl was an unselfish thing to do.
Example 2: Doctors who worked through the holidays were praised for their unselfish service.
Example 3: My unselfish brother gave his bike to our cousin, who had a longer ride to school.
Fun Fact
Unselfish care for others has a formal name, altruism. The French thinker Auguste Comte coined the French form, altruisme, in the 1800s, and English soon borrowed it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words does NOT take the prefix un- to make a real word. Choose it:
un-
a) tidy
b) aware
c) selfish
d) honest
Show answer
d) honest. We say dishonest, not unhonest; the other three all take un-.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Her ishlfensu decision to give the prize money to the school library won everyone's respect.
a) unselfish
b) selfish
c) unhelpful
d) unfinished
Show answer
a) unselfish. Selfish uses only seven of the nine letters, and with no d or p here, unfinished and unhelpful are out.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word unselfish as used in the sentence:
Rani's unselfish choice to let her little brother have the window seat made the long bus ride a happy one.
a) greedy
b) patient
c) cheerful
d) thoughtful
Show answer
a) greedy. Giving up the best seat puts someone else first; a greedy child would grab it for herself.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. unselfish 2. generous 3. considerate 4. charitible
a) willing to give freely
b) careful not to upset or hurt others
c) giving money or help to people in need
d) putting others first
Show answer
c) giving money or help to people in need. Charity drops its y and takes -able: charitable.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action is unselfish?
a) sharing your umbrella with a stranger
b) hiding your notes from classmates
c) taking the biggest slice for yourself
d) keeping the window seat every time
Show answer
a) sharing your umbrella with a stranger
2. An unselfish act is one done mainly ____.
a) because a teacher ordered it
b) to look good in front of friends
c) to win a prize for yourself
d) for the good of someone else
Show answer
d) for the good of someone else
