selfish

[sel-fish]

adjective

1. devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

   Synonyms: stingy, parsimonious, illiberal, egoistic, self-seeking, self-interested

2. characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself.

   selfish motives.

selfish

/ ˈsɛlfɪʃ /

adjective

1. chiefly concerned with one's own interest, advantage, etc, esp to the total exclusion of the interests of others

2. relating to or characterized by self-interest

Other Word Forms

• selfishly adverb
• selfishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of selfish¹

First recorded in 1630–40; self + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

The podcast highlighted the need for patients to "be selfish" when it comes to talking about their condition.

From BBC

“When I Needed You” climaxed with a moving a cappella singalong that had virtually the entire crowd belting Jepsen’s lines about discovering how far is too far to go to accommodate a selfish partner.

From Los Angeles Times

And, to be honest, how selfish is he that he still wants his vision of a family, even though a choice that he made destroyed it?

From Los Angeles Times

He keeps insisting the childless are “sociopathic,” painting them as selfish hedonists, all in a tone of barely concealed envy — as if he senses they are getting away with something.

From Salon

We’re probably being reckless enough to make potentially selfish decisions over and over again.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• egotistical www.thesaurus.com
• greedy 
• narcissistic 
• self-centered