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

Along the way, all of them continue to use self-help buzzwords and weaponized therapy speak to justify being terrible people. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025

Before the advent of social media, people picked up these ideas in self-help books, psychoanalysis, and pop culture. —Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025

Due in September 2025, Trip of a Lifetime promises to present personal memoirs coupled with a self-help framework. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025

Next came the two interviewers of the bunch, best-selling self-help phenom Mel Robbins and actor and comedian Dax Shepard, who has had about 1,000 conversations with A-listers and scholars since 2018 on his show Armchair Expert. —Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025

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.