Meanings
comparative more selfish · comparative proscribed selfisher · superlative most selfish · proscribed superlative selfishest · alternative obsolete selvish
- Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making.
1 more example
“We all have both a selfish separate self, and an Inner Being that is One with the Universal Spirit. In this sense, every human has a sort of ‘split personality’. We are all kind of what you call ‘schitzy’ with these two sides, these two people living within us. And they are in total opposition. The free will dictates which of these two sides will have its way in our life, at every given moment.”
1997, John Peniel, chapter 10, in The Children Of The Law Of One & The Lost Teachings Of Atlantis, page 127 - Having excessive or exclusive regard and concern for one's own well-being, profit or pleasure, with little or no consideration for others.
Take warning by my fate, and shun that flowery and bewitching path; for in its labyrinths the good, the gentle, the kind-hearted, and the benevolent, are too often lost; while the sordid and the selfish scarcely so much as run a hazard.
1823, James Hogg, “Peril First. Love. Circle Third.”, in The Three Perils of Woman; or, Love, Leasing, and Jealousy. […], volume I, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, […], →OCLC, page 2772 more examples
The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. […] Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
1921, Ben Travers, chapter V, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC"Our CEQA process is clearly broken when a few wealthy Berkeley homeowners can block desperately needed student housing for years and even decades," Newsom's office said in a statement. "California cannot afford to be held hostage by NIMBYs who weaponize CEQA to block student and affordable housing. This selfish mindset is driving up housing prices, and making our state less affordable."
2023 March 1, Aaron Kliegman, “Newsom declares war on environmentalists seeking to halt construction project”, in Fox News, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2023Synonyms: egoistic, egotistic, egotistical, self-centered, greedy · Antonyms: altruistic, otherish, philanthropic, selfless, unselfish, abstemious, otherish, selfless
- video gamesOf video game characters: relying on their own actions and capabilities to be effective in the game, rather than on other characters.
With that said, there is a perk to Xiao being a selfish DPS. He plays like Razor where he needs to be out in the field more than 90 percent of the time. Compared to Diluc, Xiao is more independent when it comes to dealing damage.
2021 February 23, Sid Natividad, “Genshin Impact: 5 Ways Xiao Is The Best DPS (And 5 Ways It's Still Diluc)”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2024 - biologyRelated to or equivalent to a selfish gene; best understood as existing to preserve and replicate itself in competition with other entities at the same level of existence, rather than at the level of the individual or population containing it.
Through this hypothesized mechanism, a selfish virus would reduce the probability that other co-infecting genotypes contribute the expected share of their genes to the progeny.
2005 August 4, Robert Desharnais, Population Dynamics and Laboratory Ecology, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 3212 more examples
Discoveries of selfish genetic elements often follow from the emergence of a selfish phenotype either in a cross between members of closely related species, or in crosses involving individuals from different isolated populations within a species.
2005, N.S. Sharma, Molecular Structure Of Genes And Chromosomes, Mittal Publications, →ISBN, page 215The "selfish meme" concept does not, of course, ascribe any consciousness or motivation to the meme; it simply means we can understand better by looking at evolution from the meme's point of view.
2011 February 15, Richard Brodie, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme, Hay House, Inc, →ISBN, page 68
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving excessive or exclusive regard and concern for one's own well-being, profit or pleasure, with little or no consideration for others.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveconcerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From self + -ish. Compare Danish selvisk (“selfish”), Swedish självisk (“selfish”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أَنَانِيّ
- أَنَانِيّ (ʔanāniyy)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Bengali স্বার্থপর, স্বার্থপর
- স্বার্থপর (śarthopor)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- স্বার্থপর (śarthopor)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Bulgarian егоистичен, себичен
- егоистичен (egoističen)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- себичен (sebičen)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- егоистичен (egoističen)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Catalan egoista, egoista
- egoistaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Chinese Cantonese 自私
- 自私 (zi⁶ si¹)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Chinese Mandarin 自私
- 自私 (zìsī)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Czech sobecký, sobecký
- sobeckýholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- sobeckýhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Danish selvisk, egoistisk
- selviskholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistiskholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- selviskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- egoistiskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Dutch egoïstisch, zelfzuchtig
- egoïstischhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- zelfzuchtighaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Esperanto egoisma, memama
- egoismaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- memamaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoismahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- memamahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Finnish itsekäs, itsekeskeinen
- itsekäsholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- itsekeskeinenholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- itsekäshaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- itsekeskeinenhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
French égoïste, égoïste
- égoïsteholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- égoïstehaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
German egoistisch, selbstsüchtig
- egoistischholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- selbstsüchtigholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egozentrischholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistischhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- selbstsüchtighaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- egozentrischhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Greek εγωιστής, εγωιστικός
- εγωιστής (egoïstís)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- εγωιστικός (egoïstikós)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Hindi स्वार्थी, मतलबी
- स्वार्थी (svārthī)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- मतलबी (matalbī)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Hungarian önző, egoista
- önzőholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Icelandic sjálfhverfur
- sjálfhverfurhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Indonesian egoistis, keaukuan
- egoistisholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- keaukuanholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistishaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- keaukuanhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Irish leithleach, cóngarach duit féin
- leithleachholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- cóngarach duit féinholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- féineachholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- leithleachhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Italian egoista, egoistico
- egoistaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoisticoholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- egoisticohaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Japanese 自分本位の, 勝手な
- 自分本位の (jibunhon'i no)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 勝手な (katte na)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 身勝手な (migatte na)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 自分勝手な (jibunkatte na)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- わがままな (wagamama na)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- 我が儘な (wagamama na)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- 利己的な (rikoteki na)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Korean 이기적(利己的)이다, 자기 본위(自己本位)의
- 이기적(利己的)이다 (igijeog-ida)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 자기 본위(自己本位)의 (jagi bonwi-ui)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 제멋대로 하다 (jemeotdaero hada)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- 자애적(自愛的)이다 (jaaejeog-ida)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Lithuanian savanaudis, savanaudis
- savanaudisholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- savanaudishaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Māori kaiapo, tūmatarau
- kaiapoholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- tūmatarauholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Norwegian Bokmål selvisk, egoistisk
- selviskholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistiskholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- selviskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- egoistiskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Polish egoistyczny, samolubny
- egoistycznyholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- samolubnyholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- samolubnyhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Portuguese egoísta, egoísta
- egoístaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoístahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Romanian egoist, egoist
- egoistholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoisthaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Russian эгоисти́чный, эгоисти́чный
- эгоисти́чный (egoistíčnyj)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- эгоисти́чный (egoistíčnyj)having regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Scottish Gaelic fèineil, fèineil
- fèineilholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- fèineilhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Slovak sebecký, sebecký
- sebeckýholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- sebeckýhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Spanish egoísta, egoísta
- egoístaholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoístahaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Swedish självisk, självcentrerad
- själviskholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- självcentreradholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistiskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- själviskhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Tagalog makasarili
- makasarilihaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Turkish bencil, egoist
- bencilholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- egoistholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- hodbinholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- hodkâmholding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- bencilhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- egoisthaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- hodbinhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
- hodkâmhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Ukrainian егоїсти́чний, кори́сливий
- егоїсти́чний (ehojistýčnyj)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
- кори́сливий (korýslyvyj)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Urdu خود غرض
- خود غرض (xud ġarz)holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making
Vietnamese ích kỷ
- ích kỷhaving regard for one's own well-being above that of others
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
selfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selfish
“selfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selfish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “selfish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selfish.
Source: selfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.