Dictionary

selfist en · ADJ

Etymology

From self + -ist.

Meanings

1. Believing in or practicing selfism.
   • To do this, you should have sympathy for all humanity, and this cannot be done as long as you are a selfish or even selfist person. 2012, Zadmehr Torabi, Amerrycountry: Autorabiography, page 44:
   • Separateness in selfist thought is transmogrified into a perverted freedom (or set of freedoms), themselves devoid of attendant responsibilities. 2018, Michael J. DeValve, Tammy S. Garland, Elizabeth Q. Wright, A Unified Theory of Justice and Crime, page 7:
   • To be selfist, one must presume divergence of interest. 2015, John P. Powelson, The Institutions of Economic Growth, page 149:

selfist en · NOUN

Etymology

From self + -ist.

Meanings

1. A selfish person.
   • We have in the priests and elders the selfist prosperous in his schemes, and untouched, unhurt. We have in Judas the selfist wounded and disappointed, beginning to " eat of the fruit of his own way, and to be filled with his own devices." 1846, The Christian guardian (and Church of England magazine)., page 306:
   • Since a punctualist (or an episodic) believes that the self does not last for long, a puncualist who is also a selfist has pertty much the same problems as a reductionist in justifying future-oriented egoistic concern. 2009, Jay L. Garfield, Tom J.F. Tillemans, Mario D'Amato, Pointing at the Moon: Buddhism, Logic, Analytic Philosophy, page 121:
   • [T]he pretentious wiſdom, and the knowing cautions of men—reputed to be of high ſtanding in phyſiological ſcience, but whoſe philoſophy, as it is that of the materialiſt, ſo does it prompt them to palliate, or even to juſtify, the practices of licentious ſelfiſts. 1860, Isaac Taylor, “Essay I. Ultimate Civilization.”, in Ultimate Civilization and Other Essays, London: Bell and Daldy […], →OCLC, part I, section VIII, pages 96–97:
2. A proponent of selfism; One who believes in their right and their responsibility to look after their own needs and desires.
   • The selfist uses himself to achieve his goals, whereas the selfish uses others to achieve his goals. The selfist gets to a point where he simply must gather up all that is generated by his name and work so that he may properly organize his life; the selfist simply needs time to himself. 2013, KRS-One, The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument:
   • To remedy this , she developed the idea of being a "selfist" (not to be confused with selfish), whose needs are just as important as her family's. A selfist ensures that she is well taken care of, too. 2023, Jennifer Breheny Wallace, Never Enough, page 237:
   • The selfist, on the other hand, believes that those same persons wield power to their own advantage only, and care little or not at all about the aspirations of their constituents. 2015, John P. Powelson, The Institutions of Economic Growth, page 149:

Forms