selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Definition of selfish

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

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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

So some players were calling him selfish and saying different things. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Unlike some athletes, former NFL star Maurice Jones-Drew doesn’t want to be a venture capitalist," 23 Oct. 2018 Actress and Garnier brand ambassador Mandy Moore explains why self-care isn't selfish — and is actually the key to looking and feeling your best. — As Told To Lauren Balsamo, Redbook, "'This Is Us' Star Mandy Moore Shares Her Secret to Looking and Feeling Her Best," 21 Sep. 2018 Among the many complaints heard now against the liberal order is that it was imposed by an often oppressive, selfish, hypocritical and incompetent American hegemony. — Robert Kagan, WSJ, "The Cost of American Retreat," 7 Sep. 2018 Democracies are also prone to disorder and corruption, but these are ineluctable features of any political system comprised of selfish and flawed human beings. — Sean Illing, Vox, "Intellectuals have said democracy is failing for a century. They were wrong.," 20 Dec. 2018 At the same time, his behavior over Vantablack, the groundbreaking black pigment he’s monopolizing, has been selfish and childish. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "Which artists should SpaceX send to the Moon?," 18 Sep. 2018 Stop being so selfish and start being a good neighbor. — Seattle Times Readers, The Seattle Times, "Rant & Rave: Stop the fireworks," 31 Aug. 2018 His behavior was described as selfish and even sociopathic. — Nicole Blanchard And Ruth Brown, idahostatesman, "He left behind 3 dead women & disappeared. Friends, family & the law still seek answers.," 15 June 2018 Pulizzi said that Ligurgo was selfish and controlling and psychologically abused Busone, frequently calling her terrible names. — Washington Post, "Police: Missing 2-year-old, father believed dead in Virginia," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'selfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for selfish

The first known use of selfish was in 1628

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More Definitions for selfish

selfish

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of selfish

disapproving : having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people

See the full definition for selfish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Kids Definition of selfish

: taking care of only your own needs and feelings without thought for others

selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Medical Definition of selfish

: 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