as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself
the only reason for constantly ignoring everyone else's problems is selfishness
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Recent Examples of selfishness
Diamandis told me that our hardwired inclinations toward selfishness did trouble him sometimes, in the middle of the night.
—
Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The players, in particular, face more punishing obstacles that only emphasize their selfishness.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Speaking on ground where the Indonesian military had buried Timorese freedom fighters, Francis warned against the intrusion of Western liberal values that encourage materialism and selfishness.
—Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2025
McMullen explained selfishness manifests in hogging a machine and taking way too long to find a perfect shot.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfishness
Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The players, in particular, face more punishing obstacles that only emphasize their selfishness.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Speaking on ground where the Indonesian military had buried Timorese freedom fighters, Francis warned against the intrusion of Western liberal values that encourage materialism and selfishness.
—Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2025
McMullen explained selfishness manifests in hogging a machine and taking way too long to find a perfect shot.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selfishness
Noun
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There was no vanity in her, which is what Fran McDormand had.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
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The homeowner’s suite, comprising a large bedroom, a sitting/dressing room, lots of closet space, and a bathroom with marble vanities, spills onto a deck overlooking the yard.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This is different from egoism and self-centeredness.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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In advance of the ceremony, the finalists were asked an essential question: Orwell claimed that prose writers have four ‘great motivations’ (putting aside the need to earn a living): sheer egoism; aesthetic enthusiasm; historical impulse; and political purpose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
Noun
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Thanks to his clever punchlines that carry zero sting, the biggest names in TV can leave the ceremony with unbruised egos.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Selfishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selfishness. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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