self-employed

adjective

self-em·​ployed ˌself-im-ˈplȯid 

: earning income directly from one's own business, trade, or profession rather than as a specified salary or wages from an employer

self-employed noun

Examples of self-employed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The report cites a Pew study that shows fully one-third of journalists were freelance or self-employed in 2023. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

For those who are self-employed, the deduction may not exceed their net income from the trade or business in which the tips were earned, the IRS explains on its website. — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

In 2024, when the economy had already been in crisis for several years, the government issued a decree listing 125 commercial activities prohibited to private enterprises, non-agricultural cooperatives and the self-employed. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

The lesson is not that neurodivergent people should become self-employed, but that autonomy, flexibility and job crafting can release capability that conventional work design suppresses. — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-employed

• albuminoid
• arytenoid
• cannabinoid
• carotenoid
• epidermoid
• epithelioid
• meteoroid
• paraboloid
• subarachnoid
• underemployed
• adenoid
• alkaloid

Kids Definition

self-employed

adjective

self-em·​ployed

ˌsel-fim-ˈplȯid

: earning income from one's own business or profession rather than salary or wages from an employer