as in selfishness
excessive interest in oneself
her degree of self-interest is perhaps best reflected in her favorite topic of conversation—herself
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Recent Examples of self-interest
Their incentives and another core principle, self-interest, help explain how and why this growth continues.
—
Alejandro Antonio Chafuen, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Trump is famously mercurial and transactional, loyal only to his own self-interest.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
This reform established a clear standard: Salary decisions should be fair, transparent and impartial — free from political self-interest.
—Andrew Hall, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
What happened? Beyond their own self-interest and Biden's ego?
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-interest
Alejandro Antonio Chafuen, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Trump is famously mercurial and transactional, loyal only to his own self-interest.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
This reform established a clear standard: Salary decisions should be fair, transparent and impartial — free from political self-interest.
—Andrew Hall, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
What happened? Beyond their own self-interest and Biden's ego?
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-interest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-interest
Noun
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Later that day, Cynthia reportedly involved their mother, framing the situation as selfishness.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
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But according to this Reddit post, sending it out to friends and classmates adds a touch of selfishness.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Fueled by new data and shifting cultural values, injectables are being redefined—not as vanity, but as a personalized pathway to confidence, wellness, and long-term care.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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In a hot pink colorway, the clutch will become your vanity’s newest conversation piece.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Just observationally, there seemed to be a very high crossover between those of you with the inflated ego to list 16 teams and those of you who thought Dallas was going to lose to Colorado.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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The result is an entirely incoherent crime thriller that features gangsters prattling on about the self and the ego and the soul and then occasionally wandering into an entirely different scene where other gangsters are prattling on about the same thing.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Trump’s slogans—America First and Make America Great Again—embody the essence of populism, namely using ideology to advance a political program that is morally unconstrained and driven by collective egoism.—
BÁLINT MADLOVICS,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2025
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Psychological egoism is at play here, too, with Jimmy’s extreme emotional investment in getting Grace help.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
23 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Self-interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-interest. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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