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 of selfish
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
After years as a child and teen star, Moretz comes into her own as the leading lady, expressing an understandably selfish need to explore what could have been, at the risk of blowing up the wedding and her own relationships and friendships.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Even worse, if that’s possible, is that his psychopathic narcissism adds a selfish mean streak to his adolescent behavior.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The movie underscores the absurdity of attempting to hew to outdated philosophies in a selfish, modern culture.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
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.
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Even worse, if that’s possible, is that his psychopathic narcissism adds a selfish mean streak to his adolescent behavior.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The movie underscores the absurdity of attempting to hew to outdated philosophies in a selfish, modern culture.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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
