self-serving
Americanadjective
-
preoccupied with one's own interests, often disregarding the truth or the interests, well-being, etc., of others.
-
serving to further one's own selfish interests.
adjective
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.
It’s indicative of leaders whose interests are self-serving.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Who else could pull off an eponymous theme park without it feeling brazenly self-serving?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
This conception of the court’s role is both self-serving and an ambitious overstatement.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
That claim was dismissed as "self-serving" by Greenpeace, whose UK chief scientist Doug Parr said approving the field would be "reckless and indefensible" in the context of international commitments to slow down global warming.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
They knew what had happened at school, and what was happening now, but they dismissed it in that self-serving way parents often had of pretending anything they can’t solve is not really a problem.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
