Altruist — A Vocabulary Story
The Girl Who Gave Everything Away
Rain hammered on the bus shelter roof as Shanti and her big brother Rohan waited for the number 42.
An old man shuffled up, dripping like a leaky tap. Without a word, Shanti handed him her umbrella.
"That was your favourite umbrella," said Rohan. "The one with the frogs on it. Honestly, you're a proper little altruist."
Altruist means a person who cares about others and helps them without expecting anything in return.
"He was wetter than me," said Shanti, shrugging.
On the bus, a lady stood swaying with three enormous shopping bags. Shanti hopped up and offered her seat. The lady sank into it with a happy sigh, and Shanti spent the journey clinging to a pole like a small, damp monkey.
"There she goes again. The altruist strikes twice," said Rohan, shaking his head. "One day you'll give away your own shoes."
"I would not," said Shanti. Then she thought about it. "Well. Maybe just one shoe."
At the corner shop, Shanti spent her last fifty pence on a chocolate bar. A little boy outside was crying because his coin had rolled down a drain. Shanti sighed, looked at her chocolate, sighed again more dramatically, and handed it over.
"See?" said Rohan. "Total altruist. You've got nothing left!"
But when they got home, soaked and shivering, their mum was waiting with hot chocolate and a warm towel fresh from the radiator.
"Rohan texted me," she said, wrapping Shanti up like a burrito. "Apparently even an altruist needs looking after sometimes."
Shanti grinned from inside her towel. Being wrapped up was excellent. She might let Rohan have a turn.
Maybe.
Word Definition
altruist
meaning
a person who cares about others and helps them without expecting anything in return
synonyms
philanthropist · benefactor · humanitarian · do-gooder
antonyms
egoist
example sentence
The altruist gave away most of her savings to charity.