self-interest.

Concern for one’s own benefit, advantage or welfare.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• enlightened self-interest
• pursuit of self-interest

On the page

The agreement aligned self-interest with cooperation rather than relying on goodwill alone.

Enlightened self-interest encouraged the partners to preserve a relationship that benefited both.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation analysis, behavioral comparison, qualification. Disciplines: psychology, social behavior, character writing. Commonness: moderately common.