as in egotistical
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
a selfish desire to succeed at the expense of others
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself
the only reason for constantly ignoring everyone else's problems is selfishness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of selfish
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025
To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.
—Joe Kottke, NBC news, 27 June 2025
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
And still, in an era where selfishness can be an easy path to take, Branch had already decommitted once and never planned on doing it again.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Adjective
The subtle, gentle and emotionally vulnerable Vasquez can deliver in the same moment qualities that are both sweet and cruel, or giving and selfish, which are key traits for a character whose truth is shrouded in memories and misperceptions.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025
To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.
—Joe Kottke, NBC news, 27 June 2025
Noun
Unfortunately, people can gravitate more toward selfishness, self-centeredness and being mean spirited.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
And still, in an era where selfishness can be an easy path to take, Branch had already decommitted once and never planned on doing it again.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selfish
Adjective
-
Such an obvious way to exhibit his egotistical personality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
-
Responding to questions from defense lawyer Teny Geragos, Jane agreed that Combs became more apologetic and attentive, less egotistical and cold.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The result is an almost weary vanity, in which the author plays himself as if under duress, simultaneously flourishing and folding up the self.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Its offerings—face oils, supplements, vitamin treatments, and serums—reflect a holistic approach to skincare, treating the skin as an organ and prioritizing health over vanity.—
Ian Malone,
Vogue,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Bang is perfect for this kind of role, playing an imposing figure who can be both aloof and egocentric, and whose grand stature diminishes as the film progresses.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
-
Impulsive, egocentric, and mendacious, Trump has, in the same span, set fire to the integrity of his office.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In advance of the ceremony, the finalists were asked an essential question: Orwell claimed that prose writers have four ‘great motivations’ (putting aside the need to earn a living): sheer egoism; aesthetic enthusiasm; historical impulse; and political purpose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
Trump’s slogans—America First and Make America Great Again—embody the essence of populism, namely using ideology to advance a political program that is morally unconstrained and driven by collective egoism.—
BÁLINT MADLOVICS,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The breakfast photo is the ur-text of the narcissistic internet, a bit of content that no one else is necessarily interested in but which the poster feels the need, or even the responsibility, to make public for anyone online to see.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
9 July 2025
-
But between a narcissistic president (Meryl Streep), a sleazy administration, and the country's la-la-land media machine, their world-ending warning is met with yawns and collective dismissal.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Our state and federal politicians must insist on order and basic due process in ICE’s performance of its duties, not the chaos and confusion inherent in playing up to Trump’s enormous ego, tiny vocabulary and constantly flip-flopping orders, statements and media posts.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
4 July 2025
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These are the sorts of fantasies that cultivate the delicate, fledgling egos of the inexperienced, giving them enough hope, whether about their good fortune or their capacity to aestheticize bad fortune, to continue into the uncertain future.—
Book Marks
July 3,
Literary Hub,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Billy and Peter systematically built a game-winning team off of statistics and budget, rather than investing the entire franchise's finances into players who were flashy, self-centered, or individually successful.—
Derek Scancarelli,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
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Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.—
Alice Bolin
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Brilliant and brave, the poet and soldier was also entirely self-absorbed, turning the Adriatic city into his own personal manuscript.—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
-
Is Huda self-absorbed, overdramatic, extremely volatile, overly obsessed with traditional gender roles, and impossible to please?—
Shannon Keating,
Vulture,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selfish. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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