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
Synonyms of selfish
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
Even though a lot of what happens in the book borders on the ridiculous because of the behavior of narcissistic selfish venal individuals.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
The list includes a narrative that is negative, malevolent, anti-Jensen Huang, and, for the selfish purposes of yours truly, oppositional to the trust’s portfolio.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
So for any woman reading this who has been told—directly or indirectly—that wanting her desire back was unrealistic, selfish or simply not worth addressing, this approval says otherwise.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
There’s a purely selfish motivation.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
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David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
The list includes a narrative that is negative, malevolent, anti-Jensen Huang, and, for the selfish purposes of yours truly, oppositional to the trust’s portfolio.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
So for any woman reading this who has been told—directly or indirectly—that wanting her desire back was unrealistic, selfish or simply not worth addressing, this approval says otherwise.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
There’s a purely selfish motivation.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 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 4 Jan. 2026.
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
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