Words / S / General

selflessness

noun/ˈsɛlflɪsnɪs/

B2CEFR level
35/100Rarity: fairly common
NeutralRegister

Concern for others' needs rather than one's own; the absence of selfishness.

Her selflessness during the flood, sheltering neighbours for weeks, was never forgotten.

Similar: altruism, generosity, unselfishness

Topic: Character & virtue in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Character & virtue