Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act or practice of pursuing one's own interests, advantage, or pleasure, especially with little or no regard for others. It describes a focus on personal gain, often at the expense of others or ethical considerations.

2. Adjective:

   • Characterized by or showing a preoccupation with one's own interests and advantage. Describes a person, behavior, or motive that is primarily interested in oneself.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:

  • His relentless self-seeking eventually cost him all his friends. (His constant pursuit of his own advantage eventually caused him to lose his friends.)
  • The politician was accused of pure self-seeking, not public service. (The politician was accused of acting only for personal gain, not to serve the public.)

• Adjective:

  • She was criticized for her self-seeking ambitions. (She was criticized because her ambitions were focused only on her own benefit.)
  • The decision was seen as a self-seeking move to increase his own power. (The decision was viewed as an action taken primarily to benefit himself by gaining more power.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often carries a strong negative connotation, implying selfishness, opportunism, or a lack of principle.
• It can describe a general character trait or a specific instance of behavior motivated by personal gain.
• "Self-seeking behavior" is a common collocation emphasizing actions driven by this motive.

Variants and Related Words

• Self-seeker (Noun): A person who practices self-seeking.
  • He was known as a cunning self-seeker who would do anything to get ahead.
• Self-serving (Adjective): Very similar in meaning, emphasizing actions intended to benefit oneself.
• Self-interest (Noun): A more neutral term for one's personal advantage, which may not always imply disregard for others.

Synonyms

• Noun: Selfishness, egocentrism, opportunism.
• Adjective: Selfish, self-centered, egocentric, self-serving, opportunistic.

Antonyms

• Noun: Altruism, selflessness, generosity.
• Adjective: Altruistic, selfless, generous, philanthropic.

Idioms and Phrases

• While not a phrasal verb, the concept is central to idioms like "looking out for number one" (taking care of oneself above all others) and "feathering one's own nest" (enriching oneself, often by dishonest means).

Noun

1. taking advantage of opportunities without regard for the consequences for others

Adjective

1. interested only in yourself