Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| desinteresado | /desinteɾeˈsado/ |
| abnegado | /abneˈɡado/ |
| altruista | /altɾuˈista/ |
All three forms describe someone who is motivated by no concern for themselves or is unselfish.
What does it mean word for word?
The word desinteresado is composed of the prefix des- (un-) and interesado (interested), literally meaning 'uninterested' in one's own interests.
Which one should you use?
While all three terms can mean selfless, they have different nuances. Desinteresado focuses on the lack of self-interest. Altruista specifically emphasizes the active promotion of the welfare of others. Abnegado carries a stronger connotation of self-denial or suffering for a cause compared to the more neutral desinteresado.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the form must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. For example, desinteresado becomes desinteresada for feminine nouns. The form altruista is invariant for gender, but it must take an 's' to form the plural altruistas.
How do you pronounce it?
/desinteɾeˈsado/
Did you know?
- The term altruista is derived from the French word autrui, meaning 'others'. This reflects the influence of the 19th-century French philosopher Auguste Comte, who coined the term 'altruism'.
- The Spanish adjective desinteresado could be a false friend for an English speaker, as it does not mean 'uninterested' or 'bored' in a social sense.
- While 'selfless' is generally positive, using abnegado can imply that the person has a martyr-like quality or has endured significant hardship.
Examples in context
- María es una persona desinteresada que siempre se preocupa por los demás.María is a selfless person who always cares about others.
- Juan siempre piensa en los demás antes que en sí mismo. Es verdaderamente altruista.Juan always thinks of others before himself, he is truly selfless.
- Carmen es una persona generosa y se preocupa sinceramente por los demás.Carmen is a selfless person and genuinely cares about others.
- Pedro siempre ayuda a los demás de buen corazón.Pedro always helps others selflessly.
- Laura brinda su apoyo a quienes lo necesitan sin esperar nada a cambio.Laura provides her support to those in need selflessly, without expecting anything in return.
- Es un hombre muy desinteresado con su dinero.He is a very selfless man with his money.
- Su apoyo desinteresado nos ayudó mucho.His selfless support helped us a lot.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about a friend who volunteered.
- AlejandroLuis donó todo su tiempo el fin de semana.Luis donated all his time over the weekend.
- SofíaEs increíble que sea tan desinteresado.It is incredible that he is so selfless.
- AlejandroSí, solo quería ayudar a la comunidad.Yes, he just wanted to help the community.
- SofíaNecesitamos más personas como Luis.We need more people like Luis.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “selfless” translations and entries desinteresado, abnegado, altruista, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries abnegado, altruista, desinteresado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
