Meaning & use
self-serving person
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountabledisapproving
Someone who acts mainly to benefit themselves, often without caring about others.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: a self-serving person, self-serving people.
Patterns
- a self-serving person who does something
- behave in a self-serving way
The manager was seen as a self-serving person who only helped staff when it made him look good.
In politics, a self-serving person may support a policy just to win votes.
She is not a self-serving person; she genuinely wants to improve the team.
adjectivebefore a noundisapproving
Done mainly to gain an advantage for yourself rather than to help others.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a self-serving decision, self-serving motives.
Patterns
- self-serving behavior
- self-serving motives
- a self-serving decision
Critics called the donation a self-serving move to improve the company's image.
His self-serving behavior cost him the trust of his colleagues.
The report was dismissed as self-serving and biased.
Common combinations
- a self-serving person
- A self-serving person rarely puts the group first.
- self-serving motives
- The committee questioned his self-serving motives.
- self-serving behavior
- Such self-serving behavior damages team spirit.
- purely self-serving
- Their support was purely self-serving.
- self-serving interests
- He hid his self-serving interests behind kind words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- selfish
- Selfish focuses on a general lack of concern for others, while self-serving stresses that actions are calculated to benefit the person.
- opportunistic
- Opportunistic means taking advantage of situations quickly; a self-serving person may plan for personal gain over a longer time.
- egotistical
- Egotistical is about thinking too highly of yourself; self-serving is more about acting for your own benefit.
Opposites
Word family
- self-serving adjective
- Acting mainly for personal gain.
- self-serve adjective
- Describing a place where customers serve themselves.
Commonly confused: self-serving person or self-absorbed? self-serving person or self-assured?
self-serving person vs self-absorbed
Self-absorbed means thinking only about yourself and your own feelings; self-serving means acting to gain an advantage for yourself.
self-serving person vs self-assured
Self-assured means confident, which is positive, while self-serving is disapproving and means acting for personal gain.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'self-serving' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Self-serving' describes an action done mainly for personal advantage, so cutting costs to protect a bonus fits. The other options describe kind or unpaid actions, which do not match the disapproving meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-serving person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.