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

That accounts equally for Lily’s arch froideur and Diana’s enduring lack of self-worth, played by both actors with care and compassion, and contrasting flickers of vulnerability and resolve, respectively. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026

Her happiness became tethered to results that never came and social media pressure that sapped her self-worth. —Zak Keefer, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026

February tests your relationship with money, self-worth and group dynamics as sudden shifts challenge your overall sense of control. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026

Value yourself, because self-worth shapes every choice. —Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 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