How to Use self-interest in a Sentence

self-interest

noun
  • Gi-hun sees it as a curse — a reminder of all the lives lost out of greed and self-interest.
    — Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
  • 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
  • Women both lead and cast their votes in a way that's bigger than their own self-interest.
    — Marianne Schnall, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Once again, self-interest would be likely to hold sway.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Scarcity is the rule, and requires a degree of self-interest.
    — Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
  • Or why people do things that go against their self-interest and are susceptible to the lure of a cult.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Much of this work is done out of economic self-interest.
    — Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • 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
  • So there is a certain self-interest in businesses stepping in to fill the gap.
    — Roger Trapp, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
  • To Trump, a great nation is not one that leads the world, but one that ignores its suffering in pursuit of self-interest.
    — Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
  • 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
  • Of course, the global elites who invited war between Hamas and Israel laugh at Trump’s vision for a peace built on self-interest.
    — Frank Miele, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
  • 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
  • There’s BlackRock self-interest at work, and potential cost savings for the firm and many others, which Fink has spoken about.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2025
  • 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
  • Did the dog rescue the person for an altruistic reason, or did the assistance come from a place of self-interest?
    — Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
  • 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
  • Move to even-year elections or be remembered as the council that chose self-interest over democracy.
    — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2025
  • 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
  • Prosecutors told the court that Vallow Daybell had acted out of self-interest, not self-preservation, with plans to cash in on her estranged husband’s $1 million life insurance policy.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025

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.

Last Updated: