as in egocentric
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
a selfish desire to succeed at the expense of others
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of selfish
To date, there seems to be no price Democrats are unwilling to pay to further their selfish partisan ambitions, the American and Iranian people be damned.
—
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
People being selfish, people being greedy, people murdering other people, people kidnapping other people, taking advantage of women, people taking advantage of children, all of this awful stuff.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
Games like the snowdrift problem are a way to explore this puzzle using simple math, with the aim of figuring out how a bunch of selfish individuals add up to a coherent society.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
Darryn Peterson is not a selfish villain making a mockery of the Kansas Jayhawks’ tradition.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
People being selfish, people being greedy, people murdering other people, people kidnapping other people, taking advantage of women, people taking advantage of children, all of this awful stuff.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
Games like the snowdrift problem are a way to explore this puzzle using simple math, with the aim of figuring out how a bunch of selfish individuals add up to a coherent society.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
Darryn Peterson is not a selfish villain making a mockery of the Kansas Jayhawks’ tradition.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selfish
Adjective
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A lot of tennis players are so egocentric.—
Patrick McEnroe,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But research on egocentric bias shows that leaders vastly overestimate how much audiences care about the company's journey.—
Harrison Monarth,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Those of you who chose to vote for a narcissistic, insecure racist rather than an African-American woman with an impeccable record and no baggage are to blame.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Kevin Kline plays Richard Bean, a narcissistic stage actor.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Travel ball is very self-centered.—
Eric Sondheimer
Columnist
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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Most of them are self-centered, thinking only of themselves.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Yes, the characters can be frustratingly self-absorbed, but Hogan and Woyasz might summon up your sympathy for this pair that became parents too early and have never really gotten the hang of the job.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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In Tim Burton’s breakthrough film, O’Hara played tragically hip Delia Deetz, the pretentious and self-absorbed stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Three hundred high school players gather at a remote facility to compete in ruthless trials where only one will emerge as the world’s greatest and most egoistic striker.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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What the files do seem to confirm, though, is the conspiracy theorist’s view of an elite stratosphere, where normal rules don’t apply, everyone knows each other, and ideological differences are subsumed to self-interested motives.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
14 Feb. 2026
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The movie is happy to have Linda commit acts of brutality to preserve her place on top, but what is true equality if not allowing your anti-heroine to be in all ways just as monstrously self-interested as the men?—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Please don’t take this in an egotistical way.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
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Starring Oscar Isaac as a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a monstrous creature (played by Jacob Elordi) to life despite all odds and with dire consequences.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The nation is captive to his egomaniacal whims.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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Krakowski was immediately mad for the part of the egomaniacal actress Jenna Maroney.—
Keaton Bell,
Vogue,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selfish. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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