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
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
Blackthorne immediately shows signs of a greater purpose in Japan than his original selfish aim of establishing trade routes.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Oakland succeeded in standing up to a selfish, greedy and manipulative businessman who happens to own a baseball team that millions loved.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Not in service of a selfish goal, but in mutuality and recognition of one another as more than a means to an end.
—Anne Kniggendorf, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
Such laws will continue a cascade of selfish lobbying rather than a reasonable assessment of the cost of living, economic viability, state competitiveness, and other factors.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Maybe that was a selfish assumption in the first place.
—Vogue, 8 Apr. 2024
Manny had never felt so selfish as when August was sick.
—Camille Bordas, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
The third goal of the era’s fixation on prehistory was the most selfish.
—Stefanos Geroulanos, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2024
Perspective Carolyn Hax: Fiance calls it ‘selfish’ not to welcome his family as wedding...
Perspective
Carolyn Hax: How dare my sister appreciate her wonderful husband??
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Oakland succeeded in standing up to a selfish, greedy and manipulative businessman who happens to own a baseball team that millions loved.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Not in service of a selfish goal, but in mutuality and recognition of one another as more than a means to an end.
—Anne Kniggendorf, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
Such laws will continue a cascade of selfish lobbying rather than a reasonable assessment of the cost of living, economic viability, state competitiveness, and other factors.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Maybe that was a selfish assumption in the first place.
—Vogue, 8 Apr. 2024
Manny had never felt so selfish as when August was sick.
—Camille Bordas, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
The third goal of the era’s fixation on prehistory was the most selfish.
—Stefanos Geroulanos, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2024
Perspective Carolyn Hax: Fiance calls it ‘selfish’ not to welcome his family as wedding...
Perspective
Carolyn Hax: How dare my sister appreciate her wonderful husband??
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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