as in selfishness
excessive interest in oneself
her degree of self-interest is perhaps best reflected in her favorite topic of conversation—herself
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-interest
People may be persuaded that a stable world population is in their rational self-interest.
—
Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Moving away from insurance subsidies and directing payments to taxpayers would serve as a first step toward empowering Americans to make their own health care choices and leverage their self-interest to contain health care costs.
—Kim-Lien Nguyen, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
But social norms remain a powerful tool for ensuring that self-interest doesn’t erode the collective good.
—W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2025
Calvinists, who had once condemned the pursuit of profit, eventually embraced a vocation as rational actors driven by thrifty self-interest.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-interest
Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Moving away from insurance subsidies and directing payments to taxpayers would serve as a first step toward empowering Americans to make their own health care choices and leverage their self-interest to contain health care costs.
—Kim-Lien Nguyen, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
But social norms remain a powerful tool for ensuring that self-interest doesn’t erode the collective good.
—W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2025
Calvinists, who had once condemned the pursuit of profit, eventually embraced a vocation as rational actors driven by thrifty self-interest.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-interest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-interest
Noun
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These attacks are designed to divide us, to turn us towards cynicism and selfishness.—
Natalia Aristizabal,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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But becoming a parent doesn’t automatically remove ego or selfishness.—
Noah Galuten,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Posing on top of an antique vanity and inside a wooden cabinet, Bieber cycled through a parade of sheer lace, see-through mesh, and strappy designs in shades of red, black, pink, and cream.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
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Store liquids—such as lotion, makeup, perfumes, and skincare—on a tray to protect your vanity table or bathroom cabinet.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Great art is impossible without some measure of ego.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
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But a talent for massaging egos is the most desirable strength.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
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This is different from egoism and self-centeredness.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-interest. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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