self-help

noun

ˈself-ˈhelp 

Southern also ˈhep

: the action or process of bettering oneself or overcoming one's problems without the aid of others

especially : the coping with one's personal or emotional problems without professional help

self-help adjective

Examples of self-help in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Half her responses sound like an Instagram relationship advice crossed with podcast self-help speak. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026

Expect to see a tiering emerge — AI-default for nonfiction, instruction, and self-help; human-required for prestige fiction and memoir — long before AI takes the whole category. —Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Gonzalez went on walks and started reading self-help books, including one recommended to him by 2025 teammate Alex Bregman. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026

The importance of the self in American culture seems to have become even more pronounced since about the mid-20th century, when the communal—and sometimes conformist—spirit of the 1950s gave way to movements for individual rights and a cultural focus on self-reflection and self-help. —Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-help

• help
• kelp
• skelp
• whelp
• yelp

Kids Definition

self-help

noun

ˈself-ˈhelp

: the act of bettering oneself or overcoming one's problems without aid of others

Legal Definition

self-help

noun

ˈself-ˈhelp

: the act of redressing or preventing a wrong by one's own actions rather than through legal proceedings

Note: The Uniform Commercial Code permits creditors to repossess collateral by self-help if it can be done without a breach of the peace.