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
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
Her larger-than-life ego and past as a shaman make Player 044 come off as arrogant and selfish, getting under just about everyone's skin.
—
EW.com, 4 July 2025
While the Great Lakes tunnel has been pitched as a safer option than leaving Line 5 alone without secondary containment, Gravelle said that's a narrow and selfish view.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Ezekiel calls her selfish, manipulative, and incapable of accountability.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 2 July 2025
In-ho making the offer is both a selfish and a selfless one.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
EW.com, 4 July 2025
While the Great Lakes tunnel has been pitched as a safer option than leaving Line 5 alone without secondary containment, Gravelle said that's a narrow and selfish view.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Ezekiel calls her selfish, manipulative, and incapable of accountability.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 2 July 2025
In-ho making the offer is both a selfish and a selfless one.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share