self-centered
Americanadjective
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concerned solely or chiefly with one's own interests, welfare, etc.; engrossed in self; selfish; egotistical.
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independent, self-sufficient.
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centered in oneself or itself.
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Archaic. fixed; unchanging.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-centered
First recorded in 1670–80
Explanation
A self-centered person is excessively concerned with himself and his own needs. He's selfish. You probably know some people who always talk about themselves, make every issue about themselves, and are generally all about "Me, me, me!" People like that are self-centered: as the word suggests, they are overly centered on themselves. Self-centered people tend to ignore the needs of others and only do what's best for them. You can also call them egocentric, egoistic, and egoistical. In the seventeenth century, however, self-centered meant "fixed or stationary."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ding on the movie is that Timothée Chalamet’s self-centered striver isn’t that different from Adam Sandler’s diamond hawker in “Uncut Gems.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
Of course, you probably don’t mean all boomers are self-centered.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
“His conversations were inept and usually self-centered, causing normal people to avoid him. He had no regular friends. Even his co-workers found him difficult to relate to.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2025
But plenty of us have self-centered people in our lives whom we do not want to cut off or gray rock—and for that, we might need to get off Reddit and talk to a therapist.
From Slate • Aug. 5, 2024
They said she was a self-centered spotlight hogger.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
