selfish

selfish — adjective

1. focusing so much on your own comfort, success, or happiness that you do not thin

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

focusing so much on your own comfort, success, or happiness that you do not think about what other people need or want.

Example

Rin refused to share her snacks with anyone, and her friends found her selfish.

refuse to share + with + find someone selfish

It was selfish of Lukas to take the last piece of cake without asking if anyone else wanted it.

it is selfish of + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • selfish person
  • selfish behavior
  • selfish act
  • selfish decision
  • selfish reasons
  • selfish motives
  • deeply selfish
  • extremely selfish
  • completely selfish
  • rather selfish
  • a bit selfish
Synonyms
  • self-centered

    milder than selfish; focuses on seeing the world only from one's own perspective rather than actively disregarding others

  • egotistical

    more formal; combines self-interest with excessive pride and a sense of superiority

  • greedy

    narrower in focus; wanting more than one's fair share of material things, especially money, food, or possessions

Antonyms
  • selfless

    the direct opposite; caring more about others' well-being than your own

  • generous

    willing to give time, money, or help freely without expecting anything in return

  • considerate

    careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others; thinking about how your actions affect people

Grammar Patterns

it is selfish of + person + to-infinitive

too selfish to + infinitive

selfish + noun (e.g. selfish act, selfish behavior)

Usage Note

Often used in the pattern 'it is selfish of somebody to do something'. Note the preposition is 'of', not 'for'. Can also directly modify nouns such as act, behavior, decision, or motive.

Common Mistakes

It was selfish for him to take all the credit.
It was selfish of him to take all the credit.
the adjective 'selfish' is followed by 'of', not 'for', when naming the person.

Word family

  • selfishly
    adverbB2
  • selfishness
    nounB2
  • selfless
    adjectiveB2
  • selflessly
    adverbC1
  • selflessness
    nounC1
  • unselfish
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe a focus on oneself at others' expense, but they differ in strength and scope. Selfish is the broadest and most common term — it covers any situation where personal comfort, success, or happiness is put ahead of others' needs. Self-centered is milder, suggesting someone who sees everything from their own perspective without necessarily harming others. Egotistical adds a layer of arrogance: the person not only prioritises themselves but also believes they are more important or talented than everyone else. Greedy is narrower — it specifically targets a desire for more than one's fair share of material things like food, money, or possessions. For example: a selfish person might take the last cookie without asking; a greedy person would grab several cookies and hide them; an egotistical person would then boast about how smart they were to get the cookies.

selfish ↗self-centeredegotisticalgreedy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • out of selfish motives
  • for purely selfish reasons
  • a selfish streak in someone

Prepositions

  • of (it is selfish of someone)

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'self' + the suffix '-ish', which gives the meaning 'having the character of' or 'inclined to'. The word first appeared in English in the 1640s. Before that, English used the older word 'self-ended' for the same idea. The '-ish' suffix here suggests 'tending to act like the self' — in other words, putting yourself first.