selfishness

[ sel-fish-nis ]

noun

1. the quality or state of caring only for oneself or one’s own interests:

   The author rants at length about the selfishness and general disregard for others that he sees at the root of modern society.

Word History and Origins

Origin of selfishness¹

selfish ( def ) + -ness ( def )

Example Sentences

It was a move of both selfishness and self-sabotage worthy of Elon Musk, Trump’s latest consigliere, who has drained Twitter of $34.6 billion in value in the two years he’s owned it just for the satisfaction of filling it with misinformation and hate speech.

From Slate

Sure, she has also fallen into old habits, clawed her way back from them and continues to flirt with the selfishness that got her a reputation in the first place.

From Salon

According to Vatican News, the official news portal of the Vatican, Pope Francis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “War brings out the worst in humanity: selfishness, violence and dishonesty … Let us reject the line of reasoning that embraces weapons, and instead transform massive military expenditures into investments to combat hunger and the lack of healthcare and education.”

From Salon

It's easier for the right to blame "female selfishness," which is defined as any desire to have a life outside of giving birth and raising children.

From Salon

My favorite cognitive bias is called motive attribution asymmetry, where we see ourselves as being motivated by protective, caring motives, and we see the other side as being driven by selfishness and by hostility.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• greed
• self-indulgence