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
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
The sentence is remarkably self-serving, even for Meta.
—
Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
On her deathbed, Mary exhorts her son to take advantage of this situation in grotesquely self-serving terms at odds with the movie’s overall soak-the-rich ethos.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
This is incredibly misleading, dishonest and self-serving.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Two at-odds facts can both be true, and all of us are susceptible to arrogance and self-serving rationalization.
—Carol Quillen, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.
—Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frustration with Canada has set the tone, and self-serving special interests have magnified his clarion call.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
This perception of law enforcement as a self-serving institution fuels an adversarial relationship between police and the public, makes witnesses and victims less likely to report crime, and directly undercuts our ability to effectively keep communities safe.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The norm in American foreign policy has been that all interventions, including blatantly self-serving ones, are pitched in elevated humanitarian terms.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
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Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
On her deathbed, Mary exhorts her son to take advantage of this situation in grotesquely self-serving terms at odds with the movie’s overall soak-the-rich ethos.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
This is incredibly misleading, dishonest and self-serving.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Two at-odds facts can both be true, and all of us are susceptible to arrogance and self-serving rationalization.
—Carol Quillen, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.
—Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frustration with Canada has set the tone, and self-serving special interests have magnified his clarion call.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
This perception of law enforcement as a self-serving institution fuels an adversarial relationship between police and the public, makes witnesses and victims less likely to report crime, and directly undercuts our ability to effectively keep communities safe.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The norm in American foreign policy has been that all interventions, including blatantly self-serving ones, are pitched in elevated humanitarian terms.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-serving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-serving. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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