self-improvement

noun

self-im·​prove·​ment ˌself-im-ˈprüv-mənt 

plural self-improvements

: the act or process of improving oneself by one's own actions

individuals interested in self-improvement

opportunities for self-improvement

also : an instance or result of such improvement

You don't need to wait to ring in the new year to start making self-improvements, because it's always a good time.

—Nicole Yi

—often used before another noun

self-improvement efforts

a self-improvement blog

Examples of self-improvement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a global self-improvement market on track to reach USD 53 billion this year, HeartPrint stands apart by refusing to add to the noise. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 8 May 2026

The question is not whether self-improvement exists in some form today, but how much of the loop has actually been closed. —Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026

Still learning, still moving For all his impatience with American institutions — corporate, political, technological — Burke’s worldview is ultimately an optimistic one, grounded less in ideology than in a belief that self-improvement is always available to anyone willing to do the work. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 May 2026

The feature’s goal is self-improvement. —Reuters, NBC news, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-improvement

• improvement
• movement

Kids Definition

self-improvement

noun

self-im·​prove·​ment

ˌsel-ˌfim-ˈprüv-mənt

: improvement of oneself by one's own actions