selfish

[ sel-fish ]

/ ˈsɛl fɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR selfish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself: selfish motives.

Nearby words

self-wrong, selfdom, selfheal, selfhood, selfie, selfish, selfishly, selfless, selflessly, selfness, selfridge

Origin of selfish

First recorded in 1630–40; self + -ish¹

SYNONYMS FOR selfish

1 self-interested, self-seeking, egoistic; illiberal, parsimonious, stingy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR selfish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsself·ish·ly, adverbself·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for selfishness

The pontiff blasts the selfishness, arrogance and detachment of the cardinals in Rome.
Pope Francis Denounces the Vatican Elite’s 'Spiritual Alzheimer’s'|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fatigue, sadness, or psychosis is not about choice or laziness or selfishness.
Postpartum Stigma: Why My Patient Committed Suicide|Jean Kim|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the abstract, these harsh truths steer the soul perilously close to selfishness or, worse, Objectivism.
Big Business Bullies Americans into the Machinery of Common Core|James Poulos|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Phil goes through so much to lose his selfishness, to put self aside, that his redemption feels earned.
Harold Ramis’s ‘Groundhog Day’ Is About as Perfect as a Movie Gets|Malcolm Jones|February 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The pursuit of happiness is a double-edged sword; self-reliance often bleeds into selfishness.
'Breaking Bad's' Series Finale Cements Its Status As One of the All-Time Greats|Andrew Romano|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And, he is the most enslaved agent on the earth, so far as sin, and selfishness and prejudice are concerned.
Quiet Talks on Prayer|S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon
There remains no longer any place for prejudice or selfishness.
The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen|Simon Wolf
Nevertheless, Mrs. Heron's selfishness was of a gentle and even loveable type.
Under False Pretences|Adeline Sergeant
Selfishness disappears in a nature such as Leighton possessed, when that level is reached.
The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton|Mrs. Russell Barrington
His loving nature was weaned to indifference, to a selfishness worse than death.
A Second Home|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for selfishness

selfish

/ (ˈsɛlfɪʃ) /

adjective

chiefly concerned with one's own interest, advantage, etc, esp to the total exclusion of the interests of others

relating to or characterized by self-interest

Derived Formsselfishly, adverbselfishness, 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

Word Origin and History for selfishness

selfish

adj.

1630s, from self- + -ish. Said in Hacket's life of Archbishop Williams (1693) to have been coined by Presbyterians. In the 17c., synonyms included self-seeking (1620s), self-ended and self-ful.

Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs. [Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene," 1976]

Related: Selfishly; selfishness. Cf. similar formations in German selbstisch, Swedish sjelfvisk, Danish selvisk.

selfish

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of selfish

Examples from the Web for selfishness

British Dictionary definitions for selfishness

selfish

adjective

Word Origin and History for selfishness

selfish