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
Anybody so certain of anything — except maybe that the markets will be open for trading tomorrow — is acting out of their own self-serving interests to drive fear and gain more attention.
—
Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
But this remains a polling no-brainer for lawmakers, who are tired of being seen as self-serving greed monsters.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 9 Mar. 2026
Go hard at the self-serving Secret Society of the AG, Senate president and House speaker blocking the will of the people.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The sentence is remarkably self-serving, even for Meta.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
On her deathbed, Mary exhorts her son to take advantage of this situation in grotesquely self-serving terms at odds with the movie’s overall soak-the-rich ethos.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
This is incredibly misleading, dishonest and self-serving.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.
—Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
But this remains a polling no-brainer for lawmakers, who are tired of being seen as self-serving greed monsters.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 9 Mar. 2026
Go hard at the self-serving Secret Society of the AG, Senate president and House speaker blocking the will of the people.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The sentence is remarkably self-serving, even for Meta.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
On her deathbed, Mary exhorts her son to take advantage of this situation in grotesquely self-serving terms at odds with the movie’s overall soak-the-rich ethos.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
This is incredibly misleading, dishonest and self-serving.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.
—Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-serving
selfish
Adjective
-
Over the years, fans have on social media have called out Nate’s selfish behavior in his relationship with Andy, seemingly upset with her for pursuing a career in fashion.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The movie underscores the absurdity of attempting to hew to outdated philosophies in a selfish, modern culture.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-serving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-serving. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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