self-employed

adjective

self-em·​ployed ˌself-im-ˈplȯid How to pronounce self-employed (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In addition, 80% of the income earned by the self-employed came from those making $100,000 a year or more. Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025 It has since been tested on, and refined, by 100 people including students, athletes, parents, the self-employed and workers. Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 By the way, the self-employed are in this tally. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025 Includes all workers except proprietors, private household employees, unpaid volunteers, farm employees, and the unincorporated self-employed. Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-employed

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-employed was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Self-employed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-employed. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on self-employed

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