self-serving

English

Etymology

self- +‎ serving

Adjective

self-serving (comparative more self-serving, superlative most self-serving)

1. Showing interest only in oneself.
   • 2016, David Thomson, Biggest lesson of the 2016 Oscars? The Academy should be scrapped (in The Guardian, 3 March 2016)[1]

     Don’t assume that the connotations of authority, history, scholarship, hallowed tradition and judiciousness in the word “Academy” actually fit this self-serving club.

   • 2002, Sam Williams, Free as in Freedom:

     "Most of the time when people consider the question of what rules society should have for using software, the people considering it are from software companies, and they consider the question from a self-serving perspective," says Stallman, opening his speech.

Usage notes

• Said of people, attitudes, perspectives, etc.

Translations

showing interest only in oneself

• French: intéressé (fr)
• German: selbstsüchtig (de), eigennützig (de), egoistisch (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: אינטרסנט (he), תועלתן
• Italian: autoreferenziale m or f

See also

• selfish