selfish

adjective

self·ish ˈsel-fish

: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others

: arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others

a selfish act

: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function

selfish DNA

also : being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication

selfish genes

Example Sentences

She's interested only in her own selfish concerns. I wish he'd spend less time with his friends and more time with me. Am I being selfish?

Recent Examples on the Web Are my actions selfish and self-serving, trying to share in their life though I am not wanted? —

Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 May 2023 That Beckham was loud, obnoxious, selfish and fined several times by the NFL for touchdown celebrations, improper game attire and various unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. —

Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2023 That was a little bit of a selfish act on their part. —

Selome Hailu, Variety, 20 Apr. 2023 Back then, skeptics tried to describe him in ways that limited his accomplishments — dismissing him as selfish or a showboat. —

Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023 Ellis had ‘selfish motive’ and ‘engaged in a pattern of misconduct’ States United Democracy Center filed the ethics complaint in May 2022 with the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel. —

Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023 Some people can find surprises super flattering, like a real gift, a real give, not a selfish gift, but a real give that someone will think about all the details, and not bother them with it, and just present them with something wonderful. —

Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2023 Her life changes forever after she gets taken in by a selfish witch. —

Madison Douglas, Seventeen, 2 Feb. 2023 During the interview, Allred blasted Cruz as selfish, bringing up the senator’s controversial trip to Cancún during the 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texas without power and water and caused the deaths of at least 246 people. —

Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 5 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.