selfishly
adverb
self·ish·ly
ˈsel-fish-lē 
: in a selfish way
acting/behaving selfishly
… he selfishly hogged attention for his injury …—
Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichHe finds support for his intuition from game theory, which says that if everyone in a game acts selfishly, everyone suffers.—Gina Kolata
Gina KolataExamples of selfishly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When available, the side of roasted wild mushrooms is a gem to be shared or to be selfishly guarded.
—Ben Jarrell, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Altruists seek to understand how their actions will affect others—while willful ignorance can free people to act selfishly
By Linh Vu & Margarita Leib
In the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol, the wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a magical, life-changing epiphany.
—Linh Vu, Scientific American, 11 Dec. 2023
And when looking at it selfishly in this was, as any fan might, the end result is a basketball product the likes of which have never been seen within a car ride of my house.
—Mark Deeks, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
No honest person can selfishly deplete entire buckets of candy offered to them on Halloween night only to celebrate contentment a few weeks later.
—Faith Barton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Every fight scenario either causes Miguel embarrassment or ends with him selfishly alienating his friends.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023
Dog Tired Dear Dog Tired: People enjoying the first rush and flush of a new relationship tend to behave selfishly.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023
Lee chalked it up to a small percent of attendees behaving selfishly.
—Dino Grandoni and Kim Bellware, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
So perhaps selfishly rooted in the preservation of my sanity, my go-to host gift is bubbles: simple, inexpensive and sure to entertain kids as well as amuse adults.
—Ellie Pithers Wei Tchou Alice Newell-Hanson Caitie Kelly Betsy Horan Jinnie Lee Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 24 July 2023
Ben Jarrell, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Altruists seek to understand how their actions will affect others—while willful ignorance can free people to act selfishly
By Linh Vu & Margarita Leib
In the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol, the wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a magical, life-changing epiphany.
—Linh Vu, Scientific American, 11 Dec. 2023
And when looking at it selfishly in this was, as any fan might, the end result is a basketball product the likes of which have never been seen within a car ride of my house.
—Mark Deeks, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
No honest person can selfishly deplete entire buckets of candy offered to them on Halloween night only to celebrate contentment a few weeks later.
—Faith Barton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Every fight scenario either causes Miguel embarrassment or ends with him selfishly alienating his friends.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023
Dog Tired Dear Dog Tired: People enjoying the first rush and flush of a new relationship tend to behave selfishly.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023
Lee chalked it up to a small percent of attendees behaving selfishly.
—Dino Grandoni and Kim Bellware, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
So perhaps selfishly rooted in the preservation of my sanity, my go-to host gift is bubbles: simple, inexpensive and sure to entertain kids as well as amuse adults.
—Ellie Pithers Wei Tchou Alice Newell-Hanson Caitie Kelly Betsy Horan Jinnie Lee Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 24 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfishly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Selfishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfishly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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