self-determination

noun

self-de·​ter·​mi·​na·​tion ˌself-di-ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: free choice of one's own acts or states without external compulsion

2

: determination by the people of a territorial unit of their own future political status

Synonyms of self-determination

• choice
• autonomy

Examples of self-determination in a Sentence

the United States officially recognizes 18 as the age at which someone is entitled to self-determination

rebels fighting for the territory's self-determination

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s twenty-point plan for Gaza is actually a pathway to security for Israel, reconstruction for Gaza, and the possibility of self-determination—however defined—for the Palestinians. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 June 2026

The Jewish people’s movement for self-determination in their biblical homeland — called Zionism — has become a dirty word on college campuses and in liberal political parties, and increasingly in some conservative ones. —Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 16 June 2026

That legacy of faith, self-determination and community has endured for generations. —Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 15 June 2026

To break this stagnation, Nunavut should exercise its right to self-determination, secede from Canada, and merge with an independent Greenland to form a unified Inuit state. —Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-determination

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Kids Definition

self-determination

noun

self-de·​ter·​mi·​na·​tion

ˌself-di-ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən

1

: free choice of one's own acts without outside pressure

2

: the deciding by the people of a place of the form of government they will have