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
Just his demeanor, the way he was still connected with us, not really playing selfish in any way.
—
Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2025
Raq is a master manipulator who claims to value loyalty above all else, especially from her henchmen brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou (Malcolm Mays) and her only son, yet constantly destabilizes the three of them with selfish mind games and power plays that genuinely harm them.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
Just recently, three New Yorkers died in two separate fires during Code Blue weather, when selfish drivers parked in front of hydrants, delaying the firefighters’ movement of the hose.
—Andrew Ansbro, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
Dangerously selfish, vain and proud, Wilde’s Salome is anything but innocent.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
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Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2025
Raq is a master manipulator who claims to value loyalty above all else, especially from her henchmen brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou (Malcolm Mays) and her only son, yet constantly destabilizes the three of them with selfish mind games and power plays that genuinely harm them.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
Just recently, three New Yorkers died in two separate fires during Code Blue weather, when selfish drivers parked in front of hydrants, delaying the firefighters’ movement of the hose.
—Andrew Ansbro, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
Dangerously selfish, vain and proud, Wilde’s Salome is anything but innocent.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 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 12 Mar. 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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