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Synonyms

self-serving

American  
[self-sur-ving] / ˈsɛlfˈsɜr vɪŋ /

adjective

  1. preoccupied with one's own interests, often disregarding the truth or the interests, well-being, etc., of others.

  2. serving to further one's own selfish interests.

self-serving British  

adjective

  1. habitually seeking one's own advantage, esp at the expense of others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of self-serving

First recorded in 1900–05

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.

In a town — and a time — of selfishness and self-serving, Reiner was one of the good guys, always fighting, both through his films and his politics, to make the world kinder and closer.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

"Now he is focusing on local government which he believes is too self-serving and not very in touch with the people they are supposed to represent," said Sinclair.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

But I’m not here to debate Musk and Saad’s self-serving delusions.

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2025

Traditional universities, he believed, had become too expensive, exclusive and self-serving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

They knew what had happened at school, and what was happening now, but they dismissed it in that self-serving way parents often had of pretending anything they can’t solve is not really a problem.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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.