self-validating

adjective

self-val·​i·​dat·​ing ˌself-ˈva-lə-ˌdā-tiŋ How to pronounce self-validating (audio)
1
: validating itself : needing no guarantee or judgment of its validity outside of itself
An emotion is self-validating when it communicates information to the self … (e.g., one feels angry because the situation is unjust and, therefore, one has good reason to be angry).Robert L. Leahy et al.
… the Pulitzer business … is a self-validating ritual whereby journalists give each other prizes and then boast to the public about them.Alexander Cockburn
also : of, relating to, or involving something that is self-validating
a self-validating cycle
2
: tending or serving to recognize, confirm, or establish one's own worthiness or legitimacy : providing self-validation
a self-validating experience
Earning that win can also feel self-validating.Ritika Trikha
How we choose to interpret what happens in our lives—the stories we tell to ourselves and others—color how we experience life. It's time to tell a new, more accepting and self-validating story.Kathy Caprino

Examples of self-validating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Monthly found a self-validating Washington where bureaucrats passed the buck, reporters got news from press releases, military leaders favored wars to advance their careers, courts served lawyers instead of the law, and no one was truly accountable. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-validating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-validating was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near self-validating

Cite this Entry

“Self-validating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-validating. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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