Word
selfishly
Phoneticsself·ish·ly
UK/sˈɛlfɪʃli/
Adverb of manner
Definition
adv. in a way that puts your own needs first and does not think about other people.
adv. motivated primarily by concern for one's own advantage, with disregard for others.
Examples
“He selfishly eats the last piece of cake.”
“She selfishly books the meeting room for the whole day without asking the team.”
“He selfishly diverted the department budget toward his own project while colleagues struggled to fund essential fieldwork.”
Examples
simple
“He selfishly eats the last piece of cake.”
contextual
“She selfishly books the meeting room for the whole day without asking the team.”
complex
“He selfishly diverted the department budget toward his own project while colleagues struggled to fund essential fieldwork.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “selfishly” in context.
Verb
01. act selfishly
“He acted selfishly when he took the last slice without asking anyone else.”
verb + adverb
02. behave selfishly
“It is wrong to behave selfishly when the whole team needs your support.”
verb + adverb
03. live selfishly
“She decided not to live selfishly and started volunteering weekly.”
verb + adverb
04. selfishly hoard
“During the shortage, some people selfishly hoarded food and medicine.”
adverb + verb
05. selfishly ignore
“They selfishly ignored the needs of their elderly neighbours.”
adverb + verb
06. selfishly pursue
“The company selfishly pursued profit while ignoring pollution.”
adverb + verb
07. selfishly refuse
“He selfishly refused to share his notes with the new student.”
adverb + verb
08. think selfishly
“If you think selfishly, you will lose the trust of your friends.”
verb + adverb
09. act selfishly for personal gain
“The manager acted selfishly for personal gain and lost staff respect.”
10. behave selfishly towards others
“Children who behave selfishly towards others struggle to make friends.”
11. keep everything selfishly to yourself
“Do not keep everything selfishly to yourself; share with your sister.”
12. profit selfishly from others
“He profited selfishly from the hard work of others during the crisis.”
Usage
Modifies a verb or whole clause; often placed before the main verb or at the start of the clause.
Etymology
From selfish + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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