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
- selfcenteredly adverb
- selfcenteredness noun
- unself-centered adjective
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.
Obviously, boomers are not all self-centered; they may require more help as they age.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
The fact that they are being paid to do this, with all the trappings of every parents-under-stress reality show, only adds to the air of self-centered exploitation.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 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
By contrast, people who talk about "narcissism" today are usually describing people who act in deliberately cruel and self-centered ways, which is completely separate from more innocuous narcissistic behavior.
From Salon • May 9, 2024
People wanted to like him, they wanted to believe him, but he was undependable and self-centered at best, mischievous or evil at worst.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
