self-centered en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English centered English self-centered From self- + centered.
Meanings
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(US) Egotistically obsessed with oneself.
As a rule men through economic conditions marry so late that they have already half exhausted their virile power before they marry. And when they marry young they are so ignorant and so self-centered that they imagine their wives must be satisfied when they are.
1922, Frank Harris, “X”, in My Life and Loves:
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(US) Concerned or relating to the self, and not necessarily the greater good of one's group, community, tribe, etc.; individualistic.
[A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the rise of self-consciousness — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the Self-centred attitude in human thought and action.
1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 165:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more self-centered | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| self-centred | UK, alternative | lexicographic | |
| most self-centered | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
selfish · idiocentric · individualistic · self-interested · self-serving · reptilian · solipsistic · self-centered · porkish · egoistical · egocentric · interested · solipsistic · self-absorbed · selfsome · self-absorbed · self-minded · self-seeking · egocentric · every man for himself · selflike