How to Use self-interest in a Sentence

self-interest

noun
Definition of self-interestnext
Synonyms for self-interestnext
  • And that seems to almost run counter to one’s own self-interest.
    — Sean Illing, Vox, 7 July 2024
  • Still, the movie is smart enough to ask: How much denial and self-interest are at the root of Sharon’s selflessness?
    — Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Illinois Democrats must summon the courage and will to put the people of Illinois ahead of their own self-interest.
    — Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2024
  • His self-interest and careerism are clear even in a place where self-interest and careerism are the order of the day.
    — Aja Romano, Vox, 17 July 2024
  • This is where the accusation of self-interest comes to bear.
    — Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
  • If only one of you cares for the other, then the one who chooses self-interest gets it all as the generous one loses out.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
  • Rather than appeal to France’s self-interest, Franklin aimed higher.
    — Eric Weiner, TIME, 11 June 2024
  • And self-interest, as both Hamilton and Madison agreed, is a great motor to the state, checked properly and balanced.
    — John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2024
  • It will be answered by weighing the rights of creators against the self-interest of commercial entrepreneurs.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
  • Students 60 years ago had more self-interest in protesting, with friends dying overseas and a draft in effect.
    — Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2024
  • That’s out of self-interest: Any hint of the organism’s presence can shut down a state’s shellfish economy.
    — Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
  • First, beware the power of self-interest in those calling for greater links between the U.S. military and tech sector.
    — David Meyer, Fortune, 26 July 2023
  • Perhaps the moves are also a signal that self-interest extends beyond the business case.
    — WIRED, 23 June 2023
  • Yet people do worry openly when the war affects their self-interests.
    — Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
  • With her lion mane and second-skin catsuit, Jayne, who tries hard to affect pitiless self-interest on the series, seemed smaller, near to sweet.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
  • The public choice problem refers to the concern that government officials may act in their own self-interest instead of the public's.
    — James Broughel, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • But Tingle said focusing on longevity is not just a matter of self-interest.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
  • The need of the US and its allies to preserve access to energy led them to strike a compromise in balancing punitive moves with their own self-interest.
    — Azure Gilman, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2023
  • But the group also claimed Head, who was removed from the board by other members last year, was organizing the petition out of self-interest.
    — Jason Beeferman, Dallas News, 21 Aug. 2023
  • One need only consider how aid to Ukraine has been derailed by all kinds of self-interest politics in recent months.
    — Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2024
  • There is beauty in surrendering to new rhythms in a new season of life, to choosing self-preservation over self-interest.
    — Carola Lovering, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024
  • Deploying a weapon in space would be against Russia’s own self-interest, experts argue.
    — Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
  • But self-interest and the greater good often end up in tension, which is where the Democratic nominee for president now finds himself.
    — Washington Post, 5 July 2024
  • But some critics will make arguments purely out of self-interest.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023
  • Doubters accuse its champions of self-interest or even self-delusion.
    — Max Bearak Giacomo D’orlando, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2023
  • Elba’s Sam, whose choice of career suggests a ruthless pursuit of self-interest, is upfront with the hijackers.
    — Time, 12 July 2023
  • Criminal defendants have a penchant for speaking more freely in later life, even if that could be against their legal self-interest, Pitaro said.
    — Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2023
  • His every word, action and decision between now and Election Day has to assuage their concerns and give them permission to vote in their self-interest.
    — Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
  • And so many of them have embraced a candidate who has called for global restraint, retrenchment, and narrow self-interest: Donald Trump.
    — Andrew Byers, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2024
  • The only people who favor the projects are often the developers themselves, who obviously act from self-interest and thus don’t have the same weight as the opponents.
    — Joshua Stein, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-interest.' 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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