selfish

play

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

selfishly

adverb

selfishness

noun

See selfish defined for English-language learners

See selfish defined for kids

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 of selfish from the Web

Q: In the end Gordon Hayward turns out to be as selfish and uncaring as LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: What is the 2017-18 ceiling for Heat without Hayward?," 5 July 2017
Commenters on social media mocked the governor as selfish and arrogant and cracked jokes about the sight of the heavyset Christie in a beach chair in sandals, shorts and a T-shirt.

— CBS News, "Chris Christie defends going to closed beach during government shutdown," 3 July 2017
I was told bisexuals were degenerates who are selfish and just want the best of both worlds.

— rosemary donahue, Allure, "This "Parks and Recreation" Star Just Came Out as Queer in a Moving Essay," 2 July 2017
Meyer is on the one hand, as a politician and person, more awful than ever—more craven, more selfish, more willing to betray those who are loyal to her for momentary political gain.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "The Most Pessimistic Episode of Veep Yet," 26 June 2017
Even more concerning, from a selfish perspective, is if the Knicks really do trade Porzingis all of New York will riot.

— ben baskin, The MMQB, "O’Callaghan’s Story of Coming Out Is a Must-Read," 23 June 2017
Nora can be very selfish, very self-righteous at times, very aggressive, very stubborn.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "The secret to Tony Awards nominee Laurie Metcalf's success? Brilliance and a whole lot of hard work," 5 June 2017
While most of the ship’s passengers are admittedly flawed, Jamie is unapologetically selfish and self-centered and obsesses about her miscarriage and former lover.

— sarah huffstetler, star-telegram.com, "‘Space Between the Stars’ struggles to achieve emotional orbit," 5 June 2017
There’s nothing inherently selfish in valuing your own survival.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of June 5," 5 June 2017

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.

First Known Use of selfish

1640

SELFISH Defined for English Language Learners

selfish

play

adjective

Definition of selfish for English Language Learners

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

SELFISH Defined for Kids

selfish

play

adjective self·ish \ˈsel-fish\

Definition of selfish for Students

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

selfishly

adverb

selfishness

noun

Medical Dictionary

selfish

play

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