as in selfish
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
a staggeringly self-interested careerist who is eminently indifferent to anything that does not affect his personal well-being
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Recent Examples of self-interested
For many leaders, the phrase conjures up whispered alliances, opportunistic loyalty, self-interested maneuvering and the slow poisoning of organizational culture.
—
Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The first revolution demolished the neoliberal picture of human nature, in which people are the rational, self-interested maximizers of economic textbooks.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Health officials, starting with Anthony Fauci, had been untrustworthy, self-interested, and aching for power.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
Yet political polls repeatedly reveal how many citizens--across race, age, gender, and background--still vote from a self-interested posture.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
What the files do seem to confirm, though, is the conspiracy theorist’s view of an elite stratosphere, where normal rules don’t apply, everyone knows each other, and ideological differences are subsumed to self-interested motives.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
The movie is happy to have Linda commit acts of brutality to preserve her place on top, but what is true equality if not allowing your anti-heroine to be in all ways just as monstrously self-interested as the men?
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Some two decades after the debacle of Iraq, the subjective preferences of metropolitan journalism are more widely exposed and, as the implosion of the Washington Post illustrates, the owners of media organs are revealed to be aggressively self-interested.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Goods and services are traded for the self-interested betterment of all parties involved.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025
Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The first revolution demolished the neoliberal picture of human nature, in which people are the rational, self-interested maximizers of economic textbooks.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Health officials, starting with Anthony Fauci, had been untrustworthy, self-interested, and aching for power.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
Yet political polls repeatedly reveal how many citizens--across race, age, gender, and background--still vote from a self-interested posture.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
What the files do seem to confirm, though, is the conspiracy theorist’s view of an elite stratosphere, where normal rules don’t apply, everyone knows each other, and ideological differences are subsumed to self-interested motives.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
The movie is happy to have Linda commit acts of brutality to preserve her place on top, but what is true equality if not allowing your anti-heroine to be in all ways just as monstrously self-interested as the men?
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Some two decades after the debacle of Iraq, the subjective preferences of metropolitan journalism are more widely exposed and, as the implosion of the Washington Post illustrates, the owners of media organs are revealed to be aggressively self-interested.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Goods and services are traded for the self-interested betterment of all parties involved.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-interested
selfish
Adjective
-
Squandering his Senate seniority and experience at this time, combined with his decision to appoint a newbie to replace him, should that opportunity arise, seems misguided at best and selfish at worst.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
My grown kids still act like kids — selfish and insensitive.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-interested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-interested. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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