self-interest

[self-in-trist, self-, -in-ter-ist]

noun

1. 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.

2. personal interest or advantage.

   It is particularly hard to understand why a group would vote against its own self-interest.

3. 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.

self-interest

noun

1. one's personal interest or advantage

2. the act or an instance of pursuing one's own interest

Other Word Forms

• self-interested adjective
• self-interestedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-interest¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

The vice president is especially ham-fisted, but the tactic of using racism to persuade white voters to reject their economic self-interest is hardly new in Republican politics.

From Salon

“Maybe the Constitution should have said, ‘Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.’”

From Los Angeles Times

At a stroke he has extinguished any notion of self-interest.

From BBC

Facing record high homicide rates, he released a security plan that argued that taking soldiers off the streets would be “disastrous” because cops were “controlled by organized crime and moved by self-interest and corruption.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was obviously in that farmer’s self-interest to do so, there being no direct cost to him.

From Salon

Related Words

• arrogance 
• egotism 
• narcissism 
• self-confidence 
• selfishness