Mean and Selfish

Mean

Mean adjective - Giving or sharing as little as possible.
Usage example: a mean child who hoarded all her toys

Selfish is a synonym for mean in character trait topic. In some cases you can use "Selfish" instead an adjective "Mean", when it comes to topics like miserly, stingy, ungenerous.

Nearby Words: means, meaning, meanness, meant, meanly

Selfish

Selfish adjective - Overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests.

Mean is a synonym for selfish in behaviour topic. You can use "Mean" instead an adjective "Selfish", if it concerns topics such as character trait, stingy, thinking only of oneself.

Nearby Words: self, selfishness, selfishly

Both words in one sentence

  • Cats Are Mean Cats are described as being catlike, but not in a mean or selfish way; they're just cats.
    Source: Cats Are Mean
  • Literature / Old Kingdom The first book showed in lavish detail what happens when the Abhorsen and King are not active in the Kingdom, so they're not shown as being selfish or mean — it's just a bad situation.
  • Children Are Innocent Jacob is a sweet, caring young boy who is so kind and selfless that his being selfish or mean for a change has been a punchline unto itself and there was even an arc about it.
Cite this Source
Selfish and Mean. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/selfish
Mean & Selfish. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/selfish>.
Selfish or Mean. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/selfish.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "mean" and "selfish" have occurred on timeline