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Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish. A very narrow and stinted charity. Smalridge.

Inspired by patriotism; actuated by love of one's country; zealously and unselfishly devoted to the service of one's country; as, a patriotic statesman, vigilance.

Self-love; selfishness. [Obs.] Beaumont.

ation of the nobler aspirations and sentiments of humanity; one whose scope is limited to selfish and material interests. [Recent] M. Arnold.

Proceeding from, or dictated or characterized by, prudence; prudent; discreet; sometimes, selfish or pecuniary as distinguished from higher motives or influences; as, prudential motives. " A prudential line of conduct." Sir W. Scott.

A clique; an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish purpose, as to control the market, distribute offices, obtain contracts, etc. The ruling ring at Constantinople. E. A. Freeman. Ring armor, armor composed of rings of metal. See Ring mail, below, and Chain mail, under Chain. -- Ring blackbird (Zoöl.), the rin…

Hence, personal interest, or love of private interest; selfishness; as, self is his whole aim.

Seeking one's own interest or happiness; selfish. Arbuthnot.

Concentration of one's interests on one's self; self-love; selfishness. Emerson.

A selfish person. [R.] I. Taylor.

Having no regard to self; unselfish. Lo now, what hearts have men! they never mount As high as woman in her selfless mood. Tennyson.

Selfishness. [Obs.] Sir. P. Sidney.

Freedom from duplicity, or secondary and selfish ends; purity of mind or purpose; simplicity; sincerity; as, singleness of purpose; singleness of heart.

Selfishness; egoism. [R.] Whitlock.

One who seeks for things which gratify merely himself; a selfish person; a selfist. [R.] Whitlock.

The act of supplanting or displacing. Habitual supplantation of immediate selfishness. Cloeridge.

The prevailing fashion or mode; vogue; as, things of ton. Byron. If our people of ton are selfish, at any rate they show they are selfish. Thackeray. Bon ton. See in the Vocabulary.

p, because I am who fill Infinitude; nor vacuous the space. Milton. That the few may lead selfish and vacuous days. J. Morley.