selfish

How (something) can you be?

A rhetorical question used to indicate that someone or something shows an extraordinary amount of some negative characteristic or trait. Now the banks are talking about selling off people's mortgages to vulture funds to make a quick buck. How greedy can you be? My roommate turned off the house's hot water heater over the winter break because he thought it would save energy, but all the pipes burst and the entire house flooded. Man, how dumb can you be?
See also: can, how

How (something) can you get?

A rhetorical question used to indicate that someone or something shows an extraordinary amount of some negative characteristic or trait. Now the banks are talking about selling off people's mortgages to vulture funds to make a quick buck. How greedy can you get? My roommate turned off the house's hot water heater over the winter break because he thought it would save energy, but all the pipes burst and the entire house flooded. Man, how dumb can you get?
See also: can, how
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

how selfish, stupid, ungrateful, etc. can you ˈget?

(spoken) used to express surprise or disapproval that somebody has been so selfish, stupid, etc: I can’t believe he didn’t even say thank you. How ungrateful can you get?
See also: can, how
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • How (something) can you be?
  • How (something) can you get?
  • how selfish, stupid, ungrateful, etc. can you get?
  • ungrateful
  • brain surgeon
  • there was/is something about (someone or something)
  • there's something about (someone or something)
  • there's something about somebody/something
  • tell (someone or something) by (something)
  • tell by
References in classic literature
I suppose it is partly our fault that they are selfish, and act like spoiled children; but I've talked to St.
Clare means well, I am bound to believe; but men are constitutionally selfish and inconsiderate to woman.
Uncle Toms Cabin
A woman in UAE appeared in court on Monday after a case was filed against her for allegedly calling her brother-in-law selfish. The complaint had been filed by a man against his wife's sister after she told him that he was selfish.
'You're selfish' comment lands sister-in-law in UAE court
I was listening to Radio 5 Live the other morning and they were going on about how selfish we have all got and how we are a divided and hostile nation.
We should realise manners maketh the motorist, too; John Curtis is a former Scottish Government expert on eco-friendly transport and he is committed to helping both people and organisations get the best out of their vehicle and fuel choices
Father-of-three Jason Lawrance contacted thousands of women on Match.com or its partner company Dating Direct between 2009 and 2014, attacking 12 of them to "satisfy a selfish sexual need".
Rapist guilty of further attacks; Court: Man attacked 13 women over five-year spell
Another song on the album that caught attention was a remix of his 2017 hit single 'Selfish'.
I never dreamt of doing a song with Kojo Antwi -King Promise
You might think that when one person is acting selfishly when it comes to a consumer purchase or other dedsion and his or her partner is more altruistic, only the selfish individual will be happy with the final dedsion.
OPPOSITE PERSONALITIES CAN STILL MAKE SATISFYING DECISIONS TOGETHER
The studies found that when paired with a selfish partner, it is better to behave altruistically rather than selfishly.
Opposites not only attract, also make good decisions together: Study
I have been told, more than once in my life, that I am selfish.
Selfish Women
However, the aforementioned existing works did not consider the node's selfish, which assumed that the mobile users are cooperative and never decline service to the others.
IAR-GT: An Incentive Aware Routing based on Game Theory for Selfish Opportunistic Networks
And if you are reading this and thinking to yourself, 'But it's so selfish to put myself first,' read on, because that very belief is what is causing you distress right now.
There's nothing selfish about self-love
The ongoing gale of defection that has beclouded the country's political scene has been described as a selfish motive by politicians to protect selfish interest rather than national interest.
Defection by politicians is for selfish interest, former NBA Vice Chairman opines
SELFISH parking is always a pain - though it's not every day it disrupts hundreds of Metrolink passengers.
'Selfish' parking stops the trams
He talked about a sacrificial love where selfish motives are put aside and the needs of other people become priority.
Faith Matters
Summary: TEHRAN (FNA)- A leaked internal video created by X (formerly Google X) called "The Selfish Ledger" explores a world in which the sum of our data can be used to modify behavior and understand society in new ways.
Leaked Google Video Imagines Future of Multi-Generational User Data