as in selfish
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
she's just another self-serving politician who puts her own ambitions above the public good
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Recent Examples of self-serving
Trump’s frustration with Canada has set the tone, and self-serving special interests have magnified his clarion call.
—
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
And then there’s the self-serving Ghoul, who dispatches with anyone who gets in his way.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
This perception of law enforcement as a self-serving institution fuels an adversarial relationship between police and the public, makes witnesses and victims less likely to report crime, and directly undercuts our ability to effectively keep communities safe.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The norm in American foreign policy has been that all interventions, including blatantly self-serving ones, are pitched in elevated humanitarian terms.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
So, what happens when self-serving narratives collide with a deep (and recent) history?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
Welcome to Amerizuela, where the leader is self-serving and out for his own gains.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
Not long after a 27-22 victory over Baltimore on Sunday in which the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow pulled themselves back from the brink, their future Hall of Fame quarterback did what he's done in his unique (if occasionally self-serving) way over and over through the years.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
And then there’s the self-serving Ghoul, who dispatches with anyone who gets in his way.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
This perception of law enforcement as a self-serving institution fuels an adversarial relationship between police and the public, makes witnesses and victims less likely to report crime, and directly undercuts our ability to effectively keep communities safe.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The norm in American foreign policy has been that all interventions, including blatantly self-serving ones, are pitched in elevated humanitarian terms.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
So, what happens when self-serving narratives collide with a deep (and recent) history?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
Welcome to Amerizuela, where the leader is self-serving and out for his own gains.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
Not long after a 27-22 victory over Baltimore on Sunday in which the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow pulled themselves back from the brink, their future Hall of Fame quarterback did what he's done in his unique (if occasionally self-serving) way over and over through the years.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-serving
selfish
Adjective
-
While she and his working mom (Sarah Snook) are initially seen as culprits, the boy’s selfish father (Jake Lacy, who played similar roles in the dire Moriarty adaptation Apples Never Fall and The White Lotus) turns out to be the guiltiest party of all.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Guys are being selfish, trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team.—
Tim Reynolds,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-serving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-serving. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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