self-interestˌself-ˈinterest noun [uncountable] 
Examples
His offer was motivated solely by self-interest.—self-interested adjective
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Advertising is most effective when it appeals directly to people's self-interest.
- Our country's role in the world must be determined by economic self-interest.
- But such self-interest might prove misguided.
- But there were other considerations, too, of which self-interest was only one.
- Certain information is desired for enlightened national self-interest.
- In practice, however, motives for intervention are rarely entirely pure, and an element of self-interest usually obtrudes.
- Or should we politicize the principle of altruism on the grounds that it is no more than enlightened self-interest?
- The conservative is led by disposition, not unmixed with pecuniary self-interest, to adhere to the familiar and the established.
- They also wondered if Morris's strategic thinking was unhinged from financial self-interest.
- Too many leaders, motivated by self-interest, had failed to rise to the occasion.
Longman Language Activatorselfish behaviour or a selfish attitude► selfishness
Collocations · At the time, I didn't see my decision as selfishness.· I was appalled by the greed and selfishness of some of the men I worked with.pure selfishness · Miller's crime, that of espionage, was a crime motivated by pure selfishness, said the trial judge.
► self-interest a selfish attitude that makes you do things only for selfish reasons, especially in business or politics: · Advertising is most effective when it appeals directly to people's self-interest.· Our country's role in the world must be determined by economic self-interest.
► I'm all right, Jack British informal someone with an I'm all right, Jack attitude is only concerned that their own life is satisfactory, and does not care about other people - used especially in newspapers: · The Prime Minister criticized people for their "I'm all right, Jack" approach to social policy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► economic
when you only care about what is best for you, and do not care about what is best for other people: · Will his ideology make him close the border, or will economic self-interest keep it open, at least for a time?· Rose Tsai and Julie Lee and their like-minded neighbors on the west side are pushing issues that smack of conservative economic self-interest.· Presumably the interplay of political and economic self-interest of government in industry will bring us to their goal.
► enlightened· Perhaps sensibly, Mr Bush's campaign appeals more to enlightened self-interest than to self-sacrifice.· One, deriving from Hobbes and Locke, regards the consent given as an expression of rational enlightened self-interest.
VERB► enlighten· Or should we politicize the principle of altruism on the grounds that it is no more than enlightened self-interest?· Certain information is desired for enlightened national self-interest.· An alternative view, however, suggests that enlightened self-interest is more likely than regulatory compulsion to bring about truly sustainable activities.· Family support may be the twenty-first-century form of enlightened self-interest.· For most people, paying tax was a kind of enlightened self-interest.· We will only succeed if we start to develop a doctrine of international community based on the principle of enlightened self-interest.
His offer was motivated solely by self-interest.—self-interested adjective