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
Synonyms
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
Many Democrats have abandoned hope in favor of cynicism: deciding that most of the voting public are selfish, bigoted enemies of democracy.
—
Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024
Critics, including former prosecutor Tommy Pope, have suggested her actions behind bars demonstrate a pattern of selfish behavior.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
That seems like a misguided and selfish reason to have kids.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 3 Nov. 2024
Not because Biden was selfish and ran for reelection.
—Ted Trimpa, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selfish 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024
Critics, including former prosecutor Tommy Pope, have suggested her actions behind bars demonstrate a pattern of selfish behavior.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
That seems like a misguided and selfish reason to have kids.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 3 Nov. 2024
Not because Biden was selfish and ran for reelection.
—Ted Trimpa, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selfish
Dictionary Entries Near selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
selfish
adjective
self·ish
ˈsel-fish 
: taking care of oneself without thought for others
selfishly
adverb
selfishness
noun
Medical Definition
selfish
adjective
self·ish
ˈsel-fish
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share