1
: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others
2
: arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others
a selfish act
3
: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function
selfish DNA
also
: being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication
selfish genes
Examples of selfish in a Sentence
She's interested only in her own selfish concerns.
I wish he'd spend less time with his friends and more time with me. Am I being selfish?
Recent Examples on the Web
Liberals without children fear they are seen as selfish careerists or libertines.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Dropping this much weight in such a short amount of time is both dangerous and, according to his teammates, selfish.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
Several players spoke of trying to not defer too much, and needing to be selfish at times.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Martin, who at this point knows just how selfish and destructive Tomas is, caves to his worst impulses and tops him silly.
—Samantha Allen, Them, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Dropping this much weight in such a short amount of time is both dangerous and, according to his teammates, selfish.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
Several players spoke of trying to not defer too much, and needing to be selfish at times.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Martin, who at this point knows just how selfish and destructive Tomas is, caves to his worst impulses and tops him silly.
—Samantha Allen, Them, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfish
Cite this Entry
“Selfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
selfish
adjective
self·ish
ˈsel-fish 
: taking care of oneself without thought for others
selfishly
adverb
selfishness
noun
Medical Definition
selfish
adjective
self·ish
ˈsel-fish
: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function
selfish DNA
also
: being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication
selfish genes
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