self-determination
noun
self-de·ter·mi·na·tion
ˌself-di-ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən 
1
: free choice of one's own acts or states without external compulsion
2
: determination by the people of a territorial unit of their own future political status
Examples of self-determination in a Sentence
the United States officially recognizes 18 as the age at which someone is entitled to self-determination
rebels fighting for the territory's self-determination
Recent Examples on the Web
Style, in this tradition, is both self-expression and self-determination.
—
Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
But the Netherlands wanted the approximately 500,000 Papuans who inhabited the territory—a largely Christian people who did not want unification with Muslim Indonesia—to achieve self-determination, charging Sukarno with being neo-imperialist.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
Poetry, literature, music, and visual art flourished as tools of Black self-determination.
—Najha Zigbi-Johnson, Essence, 30 Apr. 2025
Failure to launch At the time of Noah’s proposal, the Zionist movement – the modern political program for Jewish national self-determination – had not yet coalesced.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-determination
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Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
But the Netherlands wanted the approximately 500,000 Papuans who inhabited the territory—a largely Christian people who did not want unification with Muslim Indonesia—to achieve self-determination, charging Sukarno with being neo-imperialist.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
Poetry, literature, music, and visual art flourished as tools of Black self-determination.
—Najha Zigbi-Johnson, Essence, 30 Apr. 2025
Failure to launch At the time of Noah’s proposal, the Zionist movement – the modern political program for Jewish national self-determination – had not yet coalesced.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-determination
Cite this Entry
“Self-determination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-determination. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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