- regard for one's own interest or advantage, especially with disregard for others: He appears to be motivated solely by self-interest, greed, and an insatiable hunger for self-aggrandizement.
- personal interest or advantage: It is particularly hard to understand why a group would vote against its own self-interest.
- the doctrine that acting to one’s own benefit or advantage can also result in a benefit for society at large: Adam Smith believed that individuals pursuing rational self-interest would create wealth through efficient production and competition.
- one's personal interest or advantage
- the act or an instance of pursuing one's own interest
