self-affirmation
noun
self-af·fir·ma·tion
ˌself-ˌa-fər-ˈmā-shən 
plural self-affirmations
: the act of affirming one's own worthiness and value as an individual for beneficial effect (such as increasing one's confidence or raising self-esteem)
Patients were also asked to use self-affirmation to help them overcome obstacles to getting better by recalling moments in their lives they were proud of, such as a graduation.—
Lauren Paxman
Lauren Paxman
also
: a statement of self-affirmation
A counselor … told her to stare at her reflection every day and recite self-affirmations like "I am special. There's no one in the world like me." At first she didn't believe the positive words, but repeating the phrases proved magical for her self-esteem … —Elizabeth Atkins Bowman
Elizabeth Atkins Bowman Examples of self-affirmation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Midway through a conversation with a user about vaccines, for example, the model became sidetracked from its research task, writing thousands of words of self-affirmations.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
But the Last Two Minutes Report was a gesture of self-affirmation from the NBA.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Nov. 2025
Gordon gives examples of self-affirmations--facts to say to yourself when feelings of doubt are clouding them--that are science-backed, too.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
After spending each waking hour together in Fiji, the queen of self-affirmations visited Boston and met Arenales' mom.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Its six songs, which weave together profound introspection with resolute self-affirmation, are steeped in a folksy warmth à la Leith Ross or Julia Jacklin.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
As a result, Gunna’s music has acquired an undercurrent of anxious self-affirmation and angry defiance.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2025
In educational settings, self-affirmation exercises have been effective in reducing the performance gap caused by stereotype threat, particularly among women in STEM fields.
—Essence, 9 May 2025
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Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
But the Last Two Minutes Report was a gesture of self-affirmation from the NBA.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Nov. 2025
Gordon gives examples of self-affirmations--facts to say to yourself when feelings of doubt are clouding them--that are science-backed, too.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
After spending each waking hour together in Fiji, the queen of self-affirmations visited Boston and met Arenales' mom.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Its six songs, which weave together profound introspection with resolute self-affirmation, are steeped in a folksy warmth à la Leith Ross or Julia Jacklin.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
As a result, Gunna’s music has acquired an undercurrent of anxious self-affirmation and angry defiance.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2025
In educational settings, self-affirmation exercises have been effective in reducing the performance gap caused by stereotype threat, particularly among women in STEM fields.
—Essence, 9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-affirmation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-affirmation. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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