How to Use self-interest in a Sentence

self-interest

noun
  • And that seems to almost run counter to one’s own self-interest.
    — Sean Illing, Vox, 7 July 2024
  • Is there perhaps some self-interest at play here?
    — Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Gi-hun sees it as a curse — a reminder of all the lives lost out of greed and self-interest.
    — Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Women both lead and cast their votes in a way that's bigger than their own self-interest.
    — Marianne Schnall, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
  • With so many voting for self-interest, there’s no reason to think any of this will change.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2025
  • Call it enlightened self-interest wrapped in black and gold.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Scarcity is the rule, and requires a degree of self-interest.
    — Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
  • So there is a certain self-interest in businesses stepping in to fill the gap.
    — Roger Trapp, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
  • But more enlightened self-interest won out.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Or why people do things that go against their self-interest and are susceptible to the lure of a cult.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
  • How corporations, in self-interest and self-greed, are bending at the knee to please our rulers?
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Yet people do worry openly when the war affects their self-interests.
    — Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
  • The goal was to take self-interest out of the redistricting process and return it to the people.
    — Suzette Valladares, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2025
  • But some critics will make arguments purely out of self-interest.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023
  • His self-interest and careerism are clear even in a place where self-interest and careerism are the order of the day.
    — Aja Romano, Vox, 17 July 2024
  • Doubters accuse its champions of self-interest or even self-delusion.
    — Max Bearak Giacomo D’orlando, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2023
  • Rather than appeal to France’s self-interest, Franklin aimed higher.
    — Eric Weiner, TIME, 11 June 2024
  • Our self-interest has usually been of the sensible sort.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
  • This is a person who's looking out purely for their own self-interest, self-preservation.
    — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Generosity is a virtue, but maintain a healthy self-interest.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 28 June 2025
  • If only one of you cares for the other, then the one who chooses self-interest gets it all as the generous one loses out.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
  • Move to even-year elections or be remembered as the council that chose self-interest over democracy.
    — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Perhaps the moves are also a signal that self-interest extends beyond the business case.
    — WIRED, 23 June 2023
  • It will be answered by weighing the rights of creators against the self-interest of commercial entrepreneurs.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The incumbent president is unique for his sharp, loose tongue and shameless pursuit of his self-interest, yes.
    — Isaac Schorr, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
  • At times, the longing can feel insatiable, and can force people to act in ways that are entirely against their own self-interest.
    — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
  • But Tingle said focusing on longevity is not just a matter of self-interest.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Not just out of charity, but enlightened self-interest.
    — David Miliband, Time, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Students 60 years ago had more self-interest in protesting, with friends dying overseas and a draft in effect.
    — Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2024
  • Illinois Democrats must summon the courage and will to put the people of Illinois ahead of their own self-interest.
    — Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-interest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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