self-plagiarism

noun

self-pla·​gia·​rism ˌself-ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce self-plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə-
plural self-plagiarisms
: the reuse of one's own words, ideas, or artistic expression (as in an essay) from preexisting material especially without acknowledgment of their earlier use
Borrowing your own words is a tricky issue. … Writers and publishers tend to rank self-plagiarism as a lesser offense than—what should we call it?—"real" plagiarism? Still, they mostly agree it's a no-no.Taylor Wofford

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-plagiarism was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near self-plagiarism

Cite this Entry

“Self-plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-plagiarism. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!