as in opportunist
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong he's a self-seeker who is nice only to people who can do him favors

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-seeker Thus the self-seekers and the doctrinaires were drawn together into an alliance to maintain the status quo, and all its abuses and inequalities were made sacrosanct. Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-seeker
Noun
  • As played with bravado by Macfadyen, the unhinged Guiteau comes across as a stop-at-nothing opportunist consumed by his overinflated vision of his own significance and purpose.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Malek, wild-eyed as ever, portrays Kelley as an overconfident opportunist who is more than willing to cross lines to gain Goering’s trust.
    Lindsey Bahr, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The former vice-president’s characterizations of peers such as Pete Buttigieg (talented but too gay for the America to accept as her running mate), and Josh Shapiro (an egoist) are not particularly juicy, but have already caused bad blood.
    Book Marks September 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Here’s one out-of-the-box name who fits the high-motor description: Tony Vitello, who transformed the University of Tennessee from a bottom-feeder in the Southeastern Conference into perhaps the brashest and most talented program in the country.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Here are some methods for scraping good music from the data wasteland, organized in a hierarchy from bottom-feeder basics to more sophisticated and ultimately, uhh, harebrained strategies.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Take along snorkel gear—every stop is a chance to swim with sea turtles and even the occasional reef shark.
    Carla Vianna, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Self-seeker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-seeker. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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