1
as in ambitious
having a strong desire for personal advancement
a self-seeking schemer who claimed others' ideas and achievements as his own
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selfish
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
a self-seeking woman who could be counted on to sidetrack all conversation into a discussion of her problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-seeking
Adjective
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Federal officials decided to fund an ambitious megaproject to sequence all human genes.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025 -
China’s ambitious plan to build the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), a multibillion-dollar project aimed at creating the world’s largest particle collider, is likely to be officially stalled after it was not included in the country’s next five-year plan.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In such cases, solidarity and compassion themselves might seem like luxuries next to the all-conquering, primally selfish urge to save your own skin.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As an aspiring engineer, Nathan's passion for math and science shines brightly.—
Katie Nixon,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Nov. 2025
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There’s also Alani (True Whitaker), an unaffected nepo baby who just wants everyone to get along, and Charlie (Jordan Firstman), an aspiring designer who is carving his own path after deciding the traditional routes weren’t working for him.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Self-seeking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-seeking. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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