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
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
The intelligent way to be selfish is to work for the welfare of others.
—
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
People who attempt suicide aren’t selfish Some people think suicide is selfish, but this characterization is misguided and derogatory, experts said, since people who attempt or die by suicide often desire to end their pain or see themselves as burdensome.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024
Hagner is a delight, making her evil and selfish and just all-around awful, but also funny at the same time.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Aug. 2024
The world of children is an empire unto itself, the adults too drunk or too selfish to pay attention to them.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selfish 
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
People who attempt suicide aren’t selfish Some people think suicide is selfish, but this characterization is misguided and derogatory, experts said, since people who attempt or die by suicide often desire to end their pain or see themselves as burdensome.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024
Hagner is a delight, making her evil and selfish and just all-around awful, but also funny at the same time.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Aug. 2024
The world of children is an empire unto itself, the adults too drunk or too selfish to pay attention to them.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selfish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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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