selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Essential Meaning of selfish

disapproving : having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people selfish behavior/motives a selfish man See More ExamplesShe'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?Hide

Full Definition of selfish

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

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

3 : 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

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Examples of selfish in a Sentence

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 People who are being so selfish around their personal needs. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2021 To protect us against the selfish, the time for talking has ended. — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 11 Aug. 2021 From varieties that don’t need watering all the way to the most selfish of plants. — Caroleine James, The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Aug. 2021 The bet, a question of whether people are inherently caring or selfish, ends with Gi-hun winning, as cops pull over and help the man. — Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 Oct. 2021 My sister didn’t want to hear that, and accused me of being selfish and lazy, and of leaving all the work to her. — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 1 Oct. 2021 Like Biles, some could be labeled as quitters, unprofessional or selfish for setting a balanced example. — Gergo Vari, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021 Friends who tell you you’re stupid for feeling selfish for wanting another kid. — Keith Bierygolick, The Enquirer, 14 July 2021 But that catharsis felt underwhelming because, frankly, Masha is a manipulative and selfish figure whom Nine Perfect Strangers fully rehabilitates in this finale! — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'selfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near selfish

self-involvement

selfish

selfishly

Statistics for selfish

Last Updated

19 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 24 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for selfish

selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Kids Definition of selfish

: taking care of only your own needs and feelings without thought for others

selfish

adjective

self·ish | \ ˈsel-fish

Medical Definition of selfish

: 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