as in selfish
overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests
she's just another self-serving politician who puts her own ambitions above the public good
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Recent Examples of self-serving
The two worst organizations in America are the self-serving politicians on both sides and the money-seeking, self-serving right-wing religious conservatives.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Evolutionarily speaking, people might not even be built to set self-serving goals.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
Not long after a 27-22 victory over Baltimore on Sunday in which the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow pulled themselves back from the brink, their future Hall of Fame quarterback did what he's done in his unique (if occasionally self-serving) way over and over through the years.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Most are snide and strident, petty and self-serving, and their bickersome denunciations turn monotonous in ways that suggest, at times, a less-than-generous deity in the director’s chair.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
But the film is also a surprisingly thoughtful examination of faith and the ease with which genuine, if maybe misguided, belief can be manipulated and used as a self-serving tool.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Even by the low standards of past presidents — Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, have also abused the power — this spree appears to be egregiously self-serving.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
For your own self-serving purposes.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-serving
selfish
Adjective
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Freedom and rule of law were defended last night, but dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.—
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Even though a lot of what happens in the book borders on the ridiculous because of the behavior of narcissistic selfish venal individuals.—
Cite this Entry
“Self-serving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-serving. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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