self-love

noun

ˌself-ˈləv 

: love of self: such as

a

: an appreciation of one's own worth or virtue

Self-love begins when we observe our actions and words with compassion as if we were our own best friend.

—Sara M Bosworth

Just as you'd think, it's love—particular, self-love—that makes the world go around.

—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Often we are reluctant to promote self-love mostly because we confuse it with selfishness. Since we are humans, we ought to have a healthy love for ourselves; it is from this fount that love flows out to others.

—Mason Olds

b

: proper regard for and attention to one's own happiness or well-being

Nurturing your body seems simple, but for me it feels like an extreme act of self-love.

—Danielle d'Entremont

Lisa Concepcion, a certified professional love life coach and founder of LoveQuest Coaching, says that journaling is an excellent way to practice self-love.

—SheKnows

c

: inflated love of or pride in oneself : narcissism, conceit

… individuals ruled by self-love and selfishness …

—John Saillant

"Then from myself pray understand that I will say nothing to flatter your self-love."

—Anthony Trollope

… there was the self-love of those conceited blockheads who … were convinced that they themselves were superior to anything the age could produce.

—John Clive

self-loving

ˌself-ˈlə-viŋ 

adjective

Synonyms of self-love

• vanity
• ego
• pridefulness
• pride

Examples of self-love in a Sentence

nurtured a self-love that was far greater than any affection she ever felt for another person

Recent Examples on the Web

Her journey takes her to the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026

But Mary’s journey takes her far beyond that familiar estate — to the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026

In 2014, Rivera-Amador and Hollinquest founded the Radical Monarchs in Oakland — giving girls and gender expansive youth of color ages 8 through 13 a safe space to practice self-love, sisterhood and activism. —Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

Would a dose of self-love help soften the pain? —Usa Today, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-love

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• of
• shove
• hereinabove