self-government

noun

self-gov·​ern·​ment ˌself-ˈgə-vər(n)-mənt 

-ˈgə-vᵊm-ənt

1

: self-control, self-command

2

: government under the control and direction of the inhabitants of a political unit rather than by an outside authority

broadly : control of one's own affairs

Synonyms of self-government

• democracy

Examples of self-government in a Sentence

self-government implies faith in the wisdom and essential goodness of the people

steely self-government was all that kept her from lashing out at the rude customer

championed self-government for the nation's indigenous peoples

Recent Examples on the Web

The celebration comes 250 years after delegates in Philadelphia approved the Declaration, setting in motion what would become the world's oldest continuing experiment in self-government. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Jack Rakove has similarly observed that the Declaration's meaning has expanded over time, but its original purpose was to establish the legal legitimacy of self-government. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the US Constitution. — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

The First Amendment was written to protect the speech that makes self-government possible. — Paul Oestreicher, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-government

• misgovernment
• nongovernment

Kids Definition

self-government

noun

self-gov·​ern·​ment

ˈself-ˈgəv-ər(n)-mənt, 

-ˈgəv-ᵊm-ənt

1

: control over one's own actions : self-control

2

: government by action of the people making up a community

especially : democratic government

self-governed

-ˈgəv-ərnd

adjective

self-governing

-ər-niŋ

adjective