self-invention
noun
self-in·ven·tion
ˌself-in-ˈven-shən 
plural self-inventions
: the act or an instance of inventing or creating one's identity or conception of oneself
her self-invention as a pop star
Bob Dylan has surpassed Walt Whitman as the defining American artist, celebrating the capacity for self-invention as the highest form of freedom.—
Cass R. Sunstein
Cass R. Sunstein… I've been poring online … over certain performances, interesting myself in those moments when [David] Bowie seems on the cusp of one of his celebrated self-inventions …—Brian Dillon
Brian DillonExamples of self-invention in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the center of Export’s oeuvre was her own self-invention.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP NYC Pride takes center stage in this radiant program of LGBTQIA+ short films from around the world, pulsing with self-invention, resistance, and the intimate acts of becoming and belonging.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Lee was born on Long Island and embodies the restless spirit of American self-invention.
—Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 7 May 2026
Later conversation with Sophie makes clear that this is another layer of self-invention.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Ohs relies on their charismatic presence as a springboard for invention—and even self-invention.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
In the United States, even after self-invention has failed, the grift continues.
—Literary Hub, 16 May 2025
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Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP NYC Pride takes center stage in this radiant program of LGBTQIA+ short films from around the world, pulsing with self-invention, resistance, and the intimate acts of becoming and belonging.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Lee was born on Long Island and embodies the restless spirit of American self-invention.
—Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 7 May 2026
Later conversation with Sophie makes clear that this is another layer of self-invention.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Ohs relies on their charismatic presence as a springboard for invention—and even self-invention.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
In the United States, even after self-invention has failed, the grift continues.
—Literary Hub, 16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-invention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-invention. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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