self-worth

noun

ˌself-ˈwərth 

: a sense of one's own value as a human being : self-esteem

feelings of self-worth

a lack of self-worth

helping to build/develop self-worth

people with low/greater/higher self-worth

Too often, college students base their self-worth solely on their GPA.

—Marcia Morris

… jobs that gave them not only wages and health care and pensions but also a context, a sense of self-worth, a kind of identity.

—Lance Morrow

… a five-minute film that touches on themes of building inner strength and developing a strong sense of self-worth.

—Natalie Proulx

Examples of self-worth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Money and self-worth are front and center now. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

Music that questions your psyche and health, worries for your ecosystem, gut checks your self-worth and pride, and keeps you lifted. —Ian Brennan, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026

For people who’ve built their self-worth around titles, expertise, and relentless forward momentum, purgatory is particularly brutal. —Geoff Curtis, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026

And remember, your self-worth shouldn’t rise and fall with a performance review. —Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-worth

• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth
• unearth
• afterbirth
• berth
• birth
• dearth
• earth
• firth
• girth

Kids Definition

self-worth

noun

-ˈwərth

: self-esteem