selfish

adjective

self·​ish ˈsel-fish 

1

: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others

2

: arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others

a selfish act

3

: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function

selfish DNA

also : being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication

selfish genes

Synonyms of selfish

• egocentric
• narcissistic
• self-centered
• self-absorbed
• egoistic
• self-interested
• egotistic
• egomaniacal
• solipsistic
• self-involved
• self-concerned
• self-serving
• self-obsessed
• self-oriented
• self-regarding
• self-preoccupied
• self-seeking
• self-loving

Examples of selfish in a Sentence

She's interested only in her own selfish concerns.

I wish he'd spend less time with his friends and more time with me. Am I being selfish?

Recent Examples on the Web

Anyone see any think pieces about how Reese is being selfish? — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The film follows an authoritarian regime who have set up a kind of survival game to choose the most selfish (and therefore best) soccer striker from 300 candidates, with the ultimate aim of winning Japan the World Cup. — John Bleasdale, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026

Also on Weekend Update, James Austin Johnson portrayed a selfish Kevin O’Leary, the Shark Tank investor who is backing a massive data center campus in northwest Utah. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2026

In this manner, writing and fantasy relieves adults of the selfish flights of fancy that give rise to tension in our psyches. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for selfish

• unselfish

Kids Definition

selfish

adjective

self·​ish ˈsel-fish 

: taking care of oneself without thought for others

selfishly adverb

selfishness noun

Medical Definition

selfish

adjective

self·​ish ˈsel-fish 

: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function

selfish DNA

also : being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication

selfish genes