self-government

noun

self-gov·​ern·​ment ˌself-ˈgə-vər(n)-mənt 

-ˈgə-vᵊm-ənt

1

: self-control, self-command

2

: government under the control and direction of the inhabitants of a political unit rather than by an outside authority

broadly : control of one's own affairs

Synonyms of self-government

• democracy

Examples of self-government in a Sentence

self-government implies faith in the wisdom and essential goodness of the people

steely self-government was all that kept her from lashing out at the rude customer

championed self-government for the nation's indigenous peoples

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland self-government, giving the territory control over all its affairs except foreign policy and defence. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026

Greenland voted in favor of self-government in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026

Those who charge that mail ballots are not secure undermine confidence in elections, without proof, and discourage participation, erode trust, and weaken the very foundations of self-government. —Coalition, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026

Legislation in 2009 that extended self-government to Greenland also recognized a right to independence under international law, an option favored by a majority of Greenlanders. —Stefanie Dazio, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-government

• misgovernment
• nongovernment

Kids Definition

self-government

noun

self-gov·​ern·​ment

ˈself-ˈgəv-ər(n)-mənt, 

-ˈgəv-ᵊm-ənt

1

: control over one's own actions : self-control

2

: government by action of the people making up a community

especially : democratic government

self-governed

-ˈgəv-ərnd

adjective

self-governing

-ər-niŋ

adjective