self-interest

[ self-in-trist, -in-ter-ist, self- ]
See synonyms for: self-interestself-interests on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. 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.

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Origin of self-interest

1
First recorded in 1640–50

Other words from self-interest

  • self-in·ter·est·ed, adjective
  • self-in·ter·est·ed·ness, noun

Words Nearby self-interest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use self-interest in a sentence

  • I can hardly believe he is the same—turned into a mere machine, with a moving spring of self-interest!

    The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
  • She is not capable of experiencing common affection for any one; every feeling of her nature is merged in self-interest.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • The shopkeeper and his wife, drawn two ways by pity and self-interest, began by lulling their consciences with words.

    An Episode Under the Terror | Honore de Balzac
  • self-interest and self-preservation dictated many laws which secured the welfare of society.

  • Ability is demonstrated only under strenuous competition inspired by self-interest.

    The Inhumanity of Socialism | Edward F. Adams

British Dictionary definitions for self-interest

self-interest

noun
  1. one's personal interest or advantage

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

Derived forms of self-interest

  • self-interested, adjective
  • self-interestedness, noun

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