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
Compare meaning
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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.
The podcasters have an obvious self-interest in the attention and claims of power—it gets them views and potentially influence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
The lawsuit claimed the group of advertisers had acted against their own economic self-interest to conspire against the platform - saying this violated US antitrust laws designed to promote fair competition between companies.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Nations that believe they can outcompete anyone, anywhere embrace open markets as a matter of rational self-interest.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Instead, it is wholly contingent and circumstantial, defined by what serves his own self-interest and corrupt needs and wants at any given moment.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026
When strangers fight, few people present will be friends or relatives of both combatants, with self-interest in stopping the fight.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
