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

But what Kane also asserted Friday was his return to the Blackhawks wasn’t simply a self-serving move to put a ribbon on his career and enjoy his last few seasons in the city that celebrates him like nowhere else. — Scott Powers, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, called the ruling 'product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants' and said compliance means stripping out real-time features like instant hotel pricing. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

The first proposition is plausible; the second is arguably self-serving. — Harry Booth, Time, 17 July 2026

More often than not, Odysseus’s deceit is manipulative and self-serving. — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 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