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
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
Make smart people do selfish things that lead to bad outcomes.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Many commentators blame people—usually women—for being selfish and rejecting parenthood.
—Karen Benjamin Guzzo, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Now, subsequent generations are paying the price for their selfish ambitions.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025
These co-workers are not heroes for coming in to work with their germs, but selfish and inconsiderate.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
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Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Many commentators blame people—usually women—for being selfish and rejecting parenthood.
—Karen Benjamin Guzzo, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Now, subsequent generations are paying the price for their selfish ambitions.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025
These co-workers are not heroes for coming in to work with their germs, but selfish and inconsiderate.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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
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