self-gratification
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of self-gratification
First recorded in 1670–80
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.
Sacrifice and altruism are lost and it becomes all about immediate self-gratification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Selin understands these categories as the difference between devoting oneself to the societally condoned goals of making money and having kids versus freely pursuing self-gratification through love, art and adventure.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2022
Crucially, these collected lyrics aren’t an exercise in self-gratification; Sondheim is insightful and unsparing about his own mistakes, even the ones that only he is smart enough to see.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2019
“There’s a lot of self-gratification in helping people. I can’t believe people send us thank-you notes for something we get paid to do.”
From Washington Times ● Feb. 6, 2017
Ah! happiness, he saw, did not consist in self-gratification, but in giving up for others.
From Tom, Dot and Talking Mouse and Other Bedtime Stories by J. G. Kernahan
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.
