Synonyms of self-esteem

self-esteem

noun

ˌself-ə-ˈstēm 

1

as in pride

a reasonable or justifiable sense of one's worth or importance

friends and family have tried to help the shy child develop some self-esteem

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pride
• pridefulness
• confidence
• ego
• self-respect
• self-confidence
• self-worth
• self-regard
• dignity
• assurance
• self-assurance
• self-pride
• prestige
• self-trust
• self-assuredness
• aplomb
• honor
• face

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humiliation
• shame
• dishonor
• humility
• disgrace
• discredit
• infamy
• disrepute
• ignominy
• opprobrium
• odium
• modesty
• obloquy
• disesteem
• humbleness
• shyness
• timidity
• meekness
• demureness
• diffidence
• down-to-earthness
• timidness

2

as in ego

an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

his towering self-esteem made praise from other people entirely unnecessary

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ego
• vanity
• pridefulness
• pride
• arrogance
• confidence
• self-love
• complacency
• self-satisfaction
• smugness
• egotism
• superiority
• conceitedness
• vainness
• self-conceit
• self-confidence
• self-importance
• vainglory
• pomposity
• self-admiration
• self-opinion
• swelled head
• amour propre
• pompousness
• complacence
• bighead
• assurance
• vaingloriousness
• conceit
• self-glory
• self-congratulation
• self-assurance
• swellheadedness
• self-assumption
• haughtiness
• self-righteousness
• self-respect
• selfishness
• self-assertion
• overconfidence
• imperiousness
• hubris
• snobbishness
• egoism
• disdainfulness
• superciliousness
• presumption
• lordliness
• self-pride
• pretense
• pretension
• self-centeredness
• pretentiousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• humbleness
• diffidence
• altruism
• self-doubt
• shyness
• timidity
• unselfishness
• self-loathing
• bashfulness
• self-hate
• passivity
• self-disgust
• demureness
• passiveness
• timidness

3

as in confidence

great faith in oneself or one's abilities

the kind of self-esteem that a struggling actor needs to keep going in the face of constant discouragement and rejection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confidence
• self-confidence
• assurance
• composure
• self-assurance
• self-trust
• pridefulness
• self-assuredness
• pride
• vanity
• ego
• aplomb
• egoism
• self-satisfaction
• cockiness
• complacency
• self-admiration
• self-opinion
• overconfidence
• smugness
• egotism
• hubris
• self-complacency
• conceitedness
• self-content
• self-conceit
• self-contentment
• self-glorification
• self-importance
• equanimity
• vainglory
• superiority
• pomposity
• pompousness
• self-assumption
• complacence
• coolness
• self-consequence
• calmness
• vaingloriousness
• conceit
• self-applause
• haughtiness
• loftiness
• self-possession
• imperiousness
• assumption
• self-poise
• superciliousness
• lordliness
• peremptoriness
• hauteur
• bumptiousness
• toploftiness
• presumptuousness
• self-partiality
• huffiness
• pretentiousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• insecurity
• diffidence
• self-doubt
• doubt
• self-distrust
• apprehension
• misgiving

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of self-esteem

For example, positive motivations for trying to improve your personal appearance could be a desire to boost your self-esteem or feel more open to connecting with those around you. — Jennifer Donnelly, Scientific American, 30 Aug. 2026

The settlement also requires limits on features that some experts believe are detrimental to teenagers’ self-esteem and self-image. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2026

Research supports that navigating new places and meeting new people can contribute to positive emotions and higher self-esteem. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2026

But maturing onscreen — and the endless scrutiny that came with it — led to lifelong self-esteem issues, especially after she was cast as the superhero cheerleader Claire Bennett on Heroes at 17 in 2006. — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026