self-serving

adjective

self-serv·​ing ˌself-ˈsər-viŋ 

: serving one's own interests often in disregard of the truth or the interests of others

self-servingly adverb

Synonyms of self-serving

• selfish

Examples of self-serving in a Sentence

she's just another self-serving politician who puts her own ambitions above the public good

Recent Examples on the Web

Whitford’s barreling performance gives A Few Good Men a worthy villain, combining a blindered worldview with self-serving careerism that makes for a depressingly recognizable monster. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

Who Hosts The Shower Some people are adamant that the immediate family of a bride or parent-to-be should never host the shower, suggesting that such a move seems self-serving or like a greedy call for gifts. — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2026

That treatise dismantled Capra’s life, highlighting his personal and professional hypocrisies, with a focus on his self-serving conduct during the Red Scare, at the expense of his industry colleagues. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026

Vying for dominance as well are the haughty, self-serving bureaucrats of the area’s bustling capital of South Wood (Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson), who pull their political strings from the relative safety of the grand Pittock Mansion. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-serving

• conserving
• deserving
• observing
• preserving
• reserving
• subserving
• unnerving
• unswerving
• curving
• serving
• swerving
• undeserving