selfish

English

Etymology

From self +‎ -ish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɛlfɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

selfish (comparative more selfish, superlative most selfish)

1. Holding one’s self-interest as the standard for decision making.
2. Having regard for oneself above others’ well-being.

Usage notes

• Said of people, motives, desires, acts, etc.

Synonyms

• egoistic
• egotistic
• egotistical
• self-centered
• greedy

Antonyms

• altruistic
• philanthropic
• selfless

Derived terms

• selfishly
• selfishness

Translations

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

• Bengali: স্বার্থপর (bn)
• Czech: sobecký (cs)
• Danish: selvisk, egoistisk
• Finnish: itsekäs (fi), itsekeskeinen (fi)
• French: égoïste (fr)
• German: egoistisch (de)
• Hungarian: önző (hu)
• Italian: egoista (it)
• Japanese: 自分本位の (ja) (jibunhon'i-no), 身勝手な (ja) (mikatte-na)
• Jèrriais: offrun

• Korean: 이기적인 (igijeog-in), 자기 본위의 (jagi bonwi-ui), 제멋대로 하는(jemeottae-ro ha-neun)
• Lithuanian: savanaudis (lt)
• Maori: kaiapo (mi)
• Portuguese: egoísta (pt)
• Russian: эгоистичный (ru) (egoistíčnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: fèineil (gd)
• Spanish: egoísta (es)
• Swahili: mchoyo (sw)
• Swedish: självisk, självcentrerad

regard for oneself above others' well-being

• Bengali: স্বার্থপর (bn)
• Czech: sobecký (cs)
• Danish: selvisk, egoistisk
• Finnish: itsekäs (fi), itsekeskeinen (fi)
• French: égoïste (fr)
• Hungarian: egoista (hu)
• Italian: egoista (it)
• Japanese: わがままな (ja) (wagamama na), 利己的な (ja) (rikoteki na)
• Jèrriais: offrun
• Korean: 자애적-인; 自愛的인 (ja'aejeog-in)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: خۆ په‌رست (ku) (xo perist)

• Lithuanian: savanaudis (lt)
• Romanian: egoist (ro)
• Russian: эгоистичный (ru) (egoistíčnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: fèineil (gd)
• Spanish: egoísta (es)
• Swahili: mchoyo (sw)
• Swedish: egoistisk (sv), självisk (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: اناني (’anáni)
• Mandarin: 自私 (zìsī)
• Dutch: zelfzuchtig, egoïstisch
• German: selbstsüchtig, egoistisch

• Greek: ατομιστής (atomistís) m, εγωιστής (eɣoistís) m, ιδιοτελής (iðiotelís) m, φίλαυτος (fílaftos) m
• Italian: egoistico
• Portuguese: egoísta

See also

• self-serving

Anagrams

• hisself