altruists
Those who sacrifice
Altruists are people who act for the benefit of others rather than themselves.
The term carries a sense of genuine selflessness—not just occasional generosity but a consistent pattern of putting others' welfare first: The charity was founded by altruists who gave up lucrative careers to serve.
The singular is altruist.
People who give gifts
- benefactorsGivers of aid
- humanitariansThose who promote welfare
- giversThose who donate
- patronsRegular supporters or customers
charitable · foundations · endowments · grants · fundraisers · generosity · magnanimity · Carnegie
Prioritizing others over oneself
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- empathySharing another's emotions
- kindnessConsiderate, caring disposition
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
virtue · ethics · nobility · conscience · integrity · goodness · principle · idealism
Joint action toward shared aims
- reciprocityMutual exchange of actions
- HamiltonFirst Treasury secretary
- DawkinsBritish evolutionary biologist
- prosocialBenefiting society or others
fitness · genes · sacrifice · mutualism · symbiosis · sociobiology · empathy · oxytocin
People who give aid
- activistsPeople working for causes
- caregiversThose who tend others
- missionariesReligious workers abroad
- advocatesThose who support causes
community · service · unpaid · selfless · grassroots · outreach · nonprofit · hospice
Admired courageous figures
- lifesaversRescuers or ring candies
- bystandersPeople present but uninvolved
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
- courageFortitude facing danger
risk · danger · strangers · Holocaust · Schindler · righteous · sanctuary · refuge
donors
People who give gifts
- benefactorsGivers of aid
- humanitariansThose who promote welfare
- giversThose who donate
patrons · charitable · foundations · endowments · grants · fundraisers · generosity · magnanimity · Carnegie · Gates
selflessness
Prioritizing others over oneself
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- empathySharing another's emotions
- kindnessConsiderate, caring disposition
sacrifice · virtue · ethics · nobility · conscience · integrity · goodness · principle · idealism · saints
cooperation
Joint action toward shared aims
- reciprocityMutual exchange of actions
- HamiltonFirst Treasury secretary
- DawkinsBritish evolutionary biologist
prosocial · fitness · genes · sacrifice · mutualism · symbiosis · sociobiology · empathy · oxytocin · bonding
helpers
People who give aid
- activistsPeople working for causes
- caregiversThose who tend others
- missionariesReligious workers abroad
advocates · community · service · unpaid · selfless · grassroots · outreach · nonprofit · hospice · mentors
heroes
Admired courageous figures
- lifesaversRescuers or ring candies
- bystandersPeople present but uninvolved
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
courage · risk · danger · strangers · Holocaust · Schindler · righteous · sanctuary · refuge · protection
- helpersnurse, helper, volunteer, aide, assistant
- moral exemplarsGandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, saints
altruistsegotists
Self-centered individuals
egoists · narcissists · self-seekers · takers · egomaniacs
altruistsmisanthropes
Haters of humankind
sociopaths · psychopaths · villains · misers · scrooges
- altruistic behaviorActions benefiting others freely