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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.

As a 25-year high-school math teacher in Alameda, Calif., I’ve listened to all the specious, spurious, self-serving excuses for denying students and families educational choice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Rodgers resigned in late October amid accusations from major shareholder Dermot Desmond of "divisive, misleading, and self-serving" behaviour.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

The firm said any allegations of unethical practices were the result of “disgruntled former employees ... who have ulterior self-serving motives.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

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

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2025

Many regarded the Sihanouk government as corrupt and self-serving, where the poor got poorer and the rich became richer.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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.