1
as in choice
the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions
the United States officially recognizes 18 as the age at which someone is entitled to self-determination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in autonomy
the state of being free from the control or power of another
rebels fighting for the territory's self-determination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-determination
Israel would not annex Gaza, and long-term goals include Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood.
—
Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Owning her anger gave her a greater sense of agency and self-determination.
—Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Organized by Native Americans in Philanthropy, the 16-to-24-year-old participants said the inclusive process reflected Indian Country values of self-determination and intergenerational relationship-building that more donors should embrace.
—Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The Sahrawi people continue to live in exile and in diaspora, deprived of their right to self-determination and sovereignty.
—Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-determination
Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Owning her anger gave her a greater sense of agency and self-determination.
—Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Organized by Native Americans in Philanthropy, the 16-to-24-year-old participants said the inclusive process reflected Indian Country values of self-determination and intergenerational relationship-building that more donors should embrace.
—Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The Sahrawi people continue to live in exile and in diaspora, deprived of their right to self-determination and sovereignty.
—Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-determination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-determination
Noun
-
The best heroes are beloved because their choices — admirable, messy, or otherwise — are hard ones made in service of something greater.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The two were impeccably dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams, which is a canonically Gay couple costume choice — Lakshmi, as Morticia, was holding scissors in one of the posts, for crying out loud.—
James Factora,
Them.,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Across the eight-episode first season, the Crutchfields navigate living under one roof while trying to maintain their own autonomy.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The plea—legally impossible but symbolically potent—highlights the limits of judicial authority over prison placements, the strain of the mental health crises inside the federal system, and the uneasy intersection between acts of political violence and debates about personal autonomy at life’s end.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rarely in American history have US presidents supported constraints on American sovereignty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The flag, a symbol of the tribe’s long and hard-fought sovereignty, the ways its people have given to the Elk Grove community, and ties to land that date back, in Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen’s remarks, to time immemorial, launches the city’s commemoration of Native American Heritage Month.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As this brief survey suggests, the patriots’ success in drawing foreign partners into the war was essential to achieving American independence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The forest for the trees Nestled between China, India and Thailand, Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948 but came under military dictatorship in 1962.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Steve Coppell knew how to manage people, play the right tactics and give us the freedom to express ourselves.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Other artists address psychological and ecological rupture, from Shirin Neshat’s haunting meditations on freedom to Sharbendu De’s visions of climate futures.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-determination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-determination. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share