selfish

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selfish

/ˈsɛl.fɪʃ/
[ˈsɛɫ̥fɪʃ]

Rhymes with -ɛlfɪʃ

Where it comes from

From self + -ish. Compare Danish selvisk (“selfish”), Swedish självisk (“selfish”).

adjective more selfish · selfisher · most selfish · selfishest · selvish

Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making. “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
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.
Similar: egoistic, egotistic, egotistical, self-centered, greedy · Opposite: altruistic, otherish, philanthropic, selfless, unselfish, abstemious, self-abnegatory, self-denying, self-flagellatory, self-sacrificing
Of 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.
Related 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. 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.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: self-seeking, self-serving, egotistic, egotistical, narcissistic, ungenerous, stingy, envious, grudging, begrudging, self-loving, self-interested, self-involved, self-centred, self-centered, egocentric

adjective

Translations

Every language

adj holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making

Español	egoísta
한국어	이기적(利己的)이다 igijeog-ida, 자기 본위(自己本位)의 jagi bonwi-ui, 제멋대로 하다 jemeotdaero hada
日本語	自分本位の jibunhon'i no, 勝手な katte na, 身勝手な migatte na, 自分勝手な jibunkatte na
中文	自私 zìsī
हिन्दी	स्वार्थी svārthī, मतलबी matalbī
Português	egoísta
Français	égoïste
Deutsch	egoistisch, selbstsüchtig, egozentrisch
Italiano	egoista, egoistico
Ελληνικά	εγωιστής egoïstís
Română	egoist
Русский	эгоисти́чный egoistíčnyj

adj having regard for one's own well-being above that of others

Español	egoísta
한국어	자애적(自愛的)이다 jaaejeog-ida
日本語	わがままな wagamama na, 我が儘な wagamama na, 利己的な rikoteki na
Português	egoísta
Français	égoïste
Deutsch	egoistisch, selbstsüchtig, egozentrisch
Italiano	egoista, egoistico
Ελληνικά	εγωιστικός egoïstikós
Română	egoist
Русский	эгоисти́чный egoistíčnyj
Tiếng Việt	ích kỷ
العربية	أَنَانِيّ ʔanāniyy

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MLA

"selfish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/selfish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

selfish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/selfish

Chicago

"selfish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/selfish.

BibTeX

@misc{selfish_2026,
  title = {selfish},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/selfish},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}