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What is the origin of selfie?
The first-known appearance of selfie in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, selfie was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 2013 memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word selfie, with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.
Examples of selfie in a Sentence
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
While a selfie or event photo posted to my social media accounts may get attention from men, the point is not their pleasure, but my own.
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Nicky Josephine,
Vogue,
29 June 2026
In 2024, according to Apple, the world’s iPhone users took five hundred billion selfies.
—
Cal Revely-Calder,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
These have included journalists, people wanting to interview Williams and Holmes for reality television or documentary programming and the countless people who go to take selfies in front of the house.
—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for selfie
Cite this Entry
“Selfie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfie. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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