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 Everybody shares the ball well, nobody looks selfish. —

James Weber, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2023 VanderMeer's debut book, like much of his subsequent work, is a phantasmagoric thriller that explores the themes of climate disaster and humanity's selfish pursuit of control over nature. —

Amy Brady, Scientific American, 14 Mar. 2023 Gill said Veronica Youngblood was not insane, but selfish. —

Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2023 And Moayed as Torvald is convincing as a man who sounds like a loving, devoted husband but is, underneath, selfish, shallow, ungrateful and narcissistic. —

Trish Deitch, Variety, 9 Mar. 2023 Not in a selfish way, but in a self-affirming way that prioritizes self-care. —

David Oliver, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2023 Since Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, there can be a selfish streak that runs through our veins this time of the year. —

Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 19 Feb. 2023 Gaslighting is pure manipulation and always comes from selfish reasons. —

Wayne Bell, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2023 What’s new here, in fact, is just how selfish Ally is. —

Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2023 See More

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.