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What is the origin of selfie?
The first-known appearance of selfie in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, selfie was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 2013 memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word selfie, with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.
Examples of selfie in a Sentence
Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Snap a selfie with a miniature Highland baby cow.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Honor’s promo depicts the Robot Phone doing everything from entertaining children and taking selfies to skydiving and gazing at the stars.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
Elordi treated excited fans to selfies and autographs until the very last second, and del Toro spent much time doing the same to the delight of his fans.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfie
Cite this Entry
“Selfie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfie. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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