self-interest
Americannoun
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regard for one's own interest or advantage, especially with disregard for others.
He appears to be motivated solely by self-interest, greed, and an insatiable hunger for self-aggrandizement.
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personal interest or advantage.
It is particularly hard to understand why a group would vote against its own self-interest.
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Economics. the doctrine that acting to one’s own benefit or advantage can also result in a benefit for society at large.
Adam Smith believed that individuals pursuing rational self-interest would create wealth through efficient production and competition.
noun
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one's personal interest or advantage
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the act or an instance of pursuing one's own interest
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-interest
First recorded in 1640–50
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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.
Adam Smith, by contrast, argued that free enterprise and the uncoordinated pursuit of individual self-interest would lead to better outcomes for more people.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Blue Owl has said the transactions were “arm’s length,” meaning the parties were unrelated and acting independently in their own self-interest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Mandy Hill, president of the Publishers Association, said the backtrack was a victory "over the self-interest of a handful of large corporations".
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
There is a risk that elites will be enriched at the expense of the broader population, while "narratives of partnership" offered by major powers can mask underlying self-interest, he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
One of my early Socratic victories came from a question driven by self-interest: “Why do we have to eat eggs for breakfast?”
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
