serving one's own selfish interests, esp. at the expense of others
Kelsie manipulates people by making them feel sorry for her, but it's just a self serving ploy to get her own way.
The definition of self serving is a person or action done only for one's own benefit, sometimes at the expense of others.
An example of self-serving is a lie told to make yourself look better.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"self-serving." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving>.
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self-serving. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving
self-serving
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"self-serving." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving>.
APA Style
self-serving. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving
self-serving
adjective
- Serving one's own interests, especially without concern for the needs or interests of others.
- Exhibiting concern solely for one's own interests: a speech full of self-serving comments.
Related Forms:
- self′-serv′ing·ly
adverb
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"self-serving." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving>.
APA Style
self-serving. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving
Adjective
(comparative more self-serving, superlative most self-serving)
Usage notes
- Said of people, attitudes, perspectives, etc.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"self-serving." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving>.
APA Style
self-serving. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-serving
Sentence Examples
- To illustrate the self-serving bias with regard to success, I will draw on my own experiences.
- Lying that is consistently self-serving with no prosocial motive is a serious issue.
- She's drop-dead gorgeous but she is also self-serving, narcissistic and a little nasty.
- Is this the speech you prepared for your sister, or is it merely self-serving advice?
- She's a conniving, self-serving, arrogant creature. Heartless, too.
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WORDS NEAR self-serving IN THE DICTIONARY
- self-serving
- self-similar
- self-similarities
- self-similarity