as in self-realization
formal
the process of fully developing and using your abilities
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Recent Examples of self-actualization
Stephanie Ahn 1 hour 59 minutes Bedford Park, Stephanie Ahn’s poignant directorial debut, follows Audrey on her path toward something like self-actualization, sparked by a chance encounter with a similarly lonely soul.
—
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-actualization
- self-realization
- self-fulfillment
- self-discovery
- self-exploration
- introspection
- self-awareness
- self-reflection
Noun
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Leaving, at the time, was seen as a temporary sacrifice, something connected to work and supporting a family, not to self-realization.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Taking the main character’s famous journey of self-realization every night.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But this is a Norman Lear comedy after all (his last before passing in late 2023) — so by the end of the first episode, the hilarious sitcom has revealed its true interest in acceptance, forgiveness, and self-fulfillment.—
Michael Cuby,
Them.,
17 Nov. 2025
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And increasingly, women are choosing solitude and self-fulfillment over unsatisfying relationships.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At the same time, Neptune, your celestial ruler, enters Aries, shifting your focus from self-discovery to self-worth.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
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Climbing the career ladder can sometimes be a journey of self-discovery.—
Mena Mirhom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This rigorous self-exploration continued past the point that his disease cost him control of his hands.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
26 Nov. 2025
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Many of his clients are women, often in their 30s to 60s, seeking meaningful self-exploration.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Niazi appears uninterested in asserting her voice on the page, a lack of literary care that seems connected to her tendency—odd in a memoir—to nudge away from introspection.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
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The effect demands a more active degree of introspection than the average documentary, and Marczak’s unwavering commitment to that endurance test approach has a powerful way of messing with viewer expectations.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Songcraft is still their priority, and their moments of indulgence are not without self-awareness or criticism.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
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This communicates self-awareness, honesty, and long-term reliability.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This is why assessments that encourage self-reflection can be useful — not as diagnoses, but as mirrors.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Some writers with Murphy’s body of work, then, would see a show like The Beauty as an opportunity for self-reflection and self-critique, but this has never been the thing that Ryan Murphy does best.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-actualization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-actualization. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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