Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

selfless

/sˈɛlfləs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.30 in modern English

Syllables: self-less
IPA: /sˈɛlfləs/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish.

Example Sentences

"In a selfless act of gratitude for saving his mother's life, Peter committed to giving money to his local breast cancer charity each year for the rest of his life."
"Because a certain degree of selfless behavior is essential to the smooth performance of any human group, selflessness run amok can crop up in political contexts."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Middle English self English self Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English selfless From self + -less.

Inflected Forms

more selfless (comparative) most selfless (superlative)

Derived Forms

selflessly selflessness

Phrases

selfless dependent

Frequently Paired Words

detached

Synonyms

altruistic

Questions

How do you pronounce selfless?: The recorded pronunciation is /sˈɛlfləs/.
What does selfless mean?: Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish.
Where does selfless come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Middle English self English self Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English selfless From self + -less.

How to pronounce selfless

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “selfless”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sˈɛlfləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “selfless”.
Repeat and practice — Say “selfless” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.