Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

self

play
pronoun \ˈself, Southern also ˈsef\

Definition of self

  1. :  myself, himself, herself a check payable to self

See self defined for kids

People Are Reading

alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother
alt-5951697e1a410
When To Use 'Specious' vs. 'Spurious'
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
image599301899
Pretty in 'Pink'

Origin and Etymology of self

Middle English (intensive pronoun), from Old English; akin to Old High German selb, intensive pronoun, and probably to Latin suus one's own — more at suicide

2

self

adjective

Definition of self

  1. 1 obsolete :  identical, same

  2. 2 obsolete :  belonging to oneself :  own

  3. 3a :  having a single character or quality throughout; specifically :  having one color only a self flowerb :  of the same kind (as in color, material, or pattern) as something with which it is used self trimming

Examples of self in a Sentence

  1. a self-red rose of a shade that hasn't been seen before

First Known Use of self

before 12th century

self Synonyms

Synonyms
monochrome, monochromic, monochromatic, self-colored, solid
Antonyms
chromatic, colorful, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, rainbow, varicolored, varied, variegated
Related Words
achromatic, neutral
Near Antonyms
dappled (also dapple), marbled, shaded; mottled, parti-color (or parti-colored), piebald, pied, pinto, skewbald; banded, barred, brindled (or brindle), streaked, striated; checkered, dotted, patterned, plaid, striped; flecked, specked, speckled, spotted; bichrome, bicolored (or bicolor), dichromatic, trichromatic, tricolor (or tricolored), two-tone
3

self

noun

Definition of self

plural

selves

play \ˈselvz, Southern also ˈsevz\

  1. 1a :  the entire person of an individualb :  the realization or embodiment of an abstraction

  2. 2a (1) :  an individual's typical character or behavior her true self was revealed (2) :  an individual's temporary behavior or character his better selfb :  a person in prime condition feel like my old self today

  3. 3 :  the union of elements (such as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person

  4. 4 :  personal interest or advantage

  5. 5 :  material that is part of an individual organism ability of the immune system to distinguish self from nonself

See self defined for English-language learners

Examples of self in a Sentence

  1. She showed her better self at the party.

  2. Her public self is very different from her private self.

  3. Philosophers have written about the conception of the self.

First Known Use of self

13th century

self Synonyms

Synonyms
character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, personality, nature, tone
Related Words
distinctiveness, distinctness, individuality, singularity, uniqueness; attribute, characteristic, earmark, essentiality, feature, flavor, hallmark, mark, point, property, savor (also savour), stamp, trait; disposition, grain, sort, temper, temperament; composition, makeup; essence, essentiality, interior, interiority, soul, spirit; metal, stuff, substance; habit, way

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

4

self

verb

Definition of self

  1. transitive verb

  2. 1 :  inbreed

  3. 2 :  to pollinate with pollen from the same flower or plant

  4. intransitive verb

  5. :  to undergo self-pollination

First Known Use of self

1905

self-

combining form

Definition of self-

  1. 1a :  oneself or itself self-supportingb :  of oneself or itself self-abasementc :  by oneself or itself self-propelled self-acting

  2. 2a :  to, with, for, or toward oneself or itself self-consistent self-addressed self-loveb :  of or in oneself or itself inherently self-evidentc :  from or by means of oneself or itself self-fertile

  1. self–abasement

  2. self–abnegating

  3. self–abnegation

  4. self–accelerating

  5. self–acceptance

  6. self–accusation

  7. self–accusatory

  8. self–accusing

  9. self–acknowledged

  10. self–adjusting

  11. self–administer

  12. self–administration

  13. self–admitted

  14. self–admittedly

  15. self–adulatory

  16. self–advancement

  17. self–advertisement

  18. self–advertiser

  19. self–affirmation

  20. self–aggrandizement

  21. self–aggrandizing

  22. self–alienation

  23. self–anointed

  24. self–appraisal

  25. self–approbation

  26. self–assessment

  27. self–assignment

  28. self–authenticating

  29. self–avowed

  30. self–betterment

  31. self–cancel

  32. self–care

  33. self–caricature

  34. self–castigate

  35. self–castigation

  36. self–censorship

  37. self–characterization

  38. self–classification

  39. self–cleaning

  40. self–command

  41. self–communing

  42. self–communion

  43. self–complacency

  44. self–complacent

  45. self–condemnation

  46. self–condemned

  47. self–confirming

  48. self–consecration

  49. self–constituted

  50. self–consuming

  51. self–contemplation

  52. self–contempt

  53. self–created

  54. self–creation

  55. self–critical

  56. self–criticism

  57. self–critique

  58. self–cultivation

  59. self–culture

  60. self–damning

  61. self–debasement

  62. self–deceit

  63. self–deceive

  64. self–deception

  65. self–defeating

  66. self–deluded

  67. self–deluding

  68. self–delusion

  69. self–denigrating

  70. self–denigration

  71. self–dependence

  72. self–dependent

  73. self–deprecating

  74. self–deprecatingly

  75. self–deprecation

  76. self–deprecatory

  77. self–depreciation

  78. self–described

  79. self–description

  80. self–descriptive

  81. self–destroyer

  82. self–development

  83. self–devouring

  84. self–differentiation

  85. self–directed

  86. self–directing

  87. self–direction

  88. self–directive

  89. self–disgust

  90. self–display

  91. self–dissatisfaction

  92. self–doubt

  93. self–educated

  94. self–educating

  95. self–education

  96. self–effacement

  97. self–effacing

  98. self–emancipation

  99. self–emasculation

  100. self–enclosed

  101. self–engrossed

  102. self–enhancement

  103. self–evaluate

  104. self–evaluation

  105. self–exclusion

  106. self–exculpation

  107. self–exhibition

  108. self–existence

  109. self–existent

  110. self–explaining

  111. self–extinction

  112. self–finance

  113. self–formed

  114. self–generate

  115. self–giving

  116. self–guided

  117. self–hate

  118. self–hating

  119. self–hatred

  120. self–healing

  121. self–humbling

  122. self–humiliation

  123. self–hypnosis

  124. self–idolatry

  125. self–imposed

  126. self–improvement

  127. self–improver

  128. self–induced

  129. self–infatuated

  130. self–inflation

  131. self–inflicted

  132. self–initiated

  133. self–instructed

  134. self–instruction

  135. self–instructional

  136. self–interview

  137. self–invented

  138. self–invention

  139. self–isolation

  140. self–labeled

  141. self–lacerating

  142. self–laceration

  143. self–loathing

  144. self–locking

  145. self–lubricating

  146. self–luminous

  147. self–maintenance

  148. self–management

  149. self–mastery

  150. self–medication

  151. self–mockery

  152. self–mocking

  153. self–mortification

  154. self–motivated

  155. self–mutilating

  156. self–mutilation

  157. self–negating

  158. self–obsessed

  159. self–operating

  160. self–ordained

  161. self–oriented

  162. self–parodist

  163. self–parody

  164. self–penned

  165. self–perpetuating

  166. self–perpetuation

  167. self–plagiarism

  168. self–pleasing

  169. self–policing

  170. self–praise

  171. self–preoccupation

  172. self–preoccupied

  173. self–preserving

  174. self–produced

  175. self–promoter

  176. self–promoting

  177. self–promotion

  178. self–protection

  179. self–protective

  180. self–protectiveness

  181. self–punishing

  182. self–punishment

  183. self–raised

  184. self–recrimination

  185. self–reference

  186. self–referential

  187. self–referring

  188. self–reformation

  189. self–regulation

  190. self–regulative

  191. self–regulatory

  192. self–reinforcing

  193. self–renewal

  194. self–renewing

  195. self–renouncing

  196. self–renunciation

  197. self–reproach

  198. self–reproachful

  199. self–reproof

  200. self–reproving

  201. self–restraint

  202. self–ridicule

  203. self–satirizing

  204. self–selected

  205. self–selection

  206. self–set

  207. self–surrender

  208. self–sustained

  209. self–therapy

  210. self–torment

  211. self–tormentor

  212. self–torture

  213. self–transcendence

  214. self–transformation

  215. self–understanding

  216. self–validating

  217. self–worship

  218. self–worshipper

Origin and Etymology of self-

Middle English, from Old English, from self

Phrases Related to SELF

Related Phrases

SELF Defined for English Language Learners

self

noun

Definition of self for English Language Learners

  • : the person that someone normally or truly is

  • : a particular part of your personality or character that is shown in a particular situation

  • : the personality or character that makes a person different from other people : the combination of emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc., that make a person different from others

self-

combining form

Definition of self- for English Language Learners

  • : yourself or itself

  • : of yourself or itself

  • : by, to, with, for, or toward yourself or itself

SELF Defined for Kids

self

play
noun \ˈself\

Definition of self for Students

plural

selves

\ˈselvz\

  1. 1 :  a person regarded as an individual apart from everyone else

  2. 2 :  a special side of a person's character He isn't his cheerful self today.

self-

prefix

Definition of self- for Students

  1. 1 :  someone's or something's self self-governing

  2. 2 :  of or by someone's or something's self self-control

  3. 3 :  to, with, for, or toward someone's or something's self self-respect

Medical Dictionary

self

play
noun \ˈself\

Medical Definition of self

plural

selves

\ˈselvz\play

  1. 1:  the union of elements (as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person

  2. 2:  material that is part of an individual organism ability of the immune system to distinguish self from nonself

Learn More about self

  1. See words that rhyme with self Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for self Spanish Central: Translation of self Nglish: Translation of self for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of self for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about self

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up self? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

perspicuous

play

clear to the understanding

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

self

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5951697e1a410
When To Use 'Specious' vs. 'Spurious'

These similar words are not interchangeable

alt-594bf2ec5f26e
Quick: Read This!

'Quick' once had a very different meaning

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game
Examples: self in a Sentence