self-definition

noun

self-def·​i·​ni·​tion ˌself-ˌde-fə-ˈni-shən 

: the evaluation by oneself of one's worth as an individual in distinction from one's interpersonal or social roles

Examples of self-definition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s more heft here than in standard-issue showbiz memoirs: Mamet’s struggles with self-doubt and self-definition resonate, and her jokes land more like attempts at maintaining good humor in the face of a cruel world than pure silliness. —Book Marks september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025

The biggest takeaway, though, is clear: beauty is revolution, carried forward through ritual, resilience, and self-definition. —Larry Stansbury, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025

Mercury in Leo motivates courageous self-definition. —Colin Bedell, Them., 13 Aug. 2025

Identity Marker For many, a job title becomes a core part of their self-definition. —Gamze Acar Bayraktaroglu, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

The exhibition investigates how dandyism, a style of elevated dress once imposed upon enslaved people, was remade by Black aesthetes into a tool of social mobility and self-definition. —Vincent Tullo, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-definition

• academician
• cycloaddition
• decomposition
• diagnostician
• disinhibition
• indisposition
• interposition
• juxtaposition
• mathematician
• metacognition
• metaphysician
• neurotransmission