SELF-INTERESTED Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

self-interested

adjective

Definition of self-interested

as in selfish

overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests a staggeringly self-interested careerist who is eminently indifferent to anything that does not affect his personal well-being

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of self-interested Even when the effects are more subtle, the relationship between genome and transposon seems to sometimes go deeper than that of a host adapting to an invading, self-interested genetic force. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026 This view suggests that the sense of shame was collectively weakened by a series of self-interested actors who shattered the social firmament and opened up the gates to chaos. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026 Even Republicans in Congress are now pushing back against some of his most outrageously self-interested moves. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 For many leaders, the phrase conjures up whispered alliances, opportunistic loyalty, self-interested maneuvering and the slow poisoning of organizational culture. — Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 Health officials, starting with Anthony Fauci, had been untrustworthy, self-interested, and aching for power. — David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026 Yet political polls repeatedly reveal how many citizens--across race, age, gender, and background--still vote from a self-interested posture. — Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026 What the files do seem to confirm, though, is the conspiracy theorist’s view of an elite stratosphere, where normal rules don’t apply, everyone knows each other, and ideological differences are subsumed to self-interested motives. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026 The movie is happy to have Linda commit acts of brutality to preserve her place on top, but what is true equality if not allowing your anti-heroine to be in all ways just as monstrously self-interested as the men? — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-interested

selfish

Adjective

Also on Weekend Update, James Austin Johnson portrayed a selfish Kevin O’Leary, the Shark Tank investor who is backing a massive data center campus in northwest Utah.

— William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2026
That’s also how Violet is thinking about their portrayal of Maureen, whose eccentric performance art and selfish behavior often give the character a bad rap.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of selfish

Browse Nearby Words

self-interest

self-interested

self-involved

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“Self-interested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-interested. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of self-interested

adjective

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