1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

self-incrimination

noun

Definition of self-incriminationnext
as in declaration

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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-incrimination McDaniel invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned during the hearing about information presented to the board during his time as the district's finance director. — CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 In July, Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a congressional hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 The decision comes after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination during a hearing on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026 Fauci did not answer questions, instead invoking his right against self-incrimination. — Emily R. Condon, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-incrimination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-incrimination
  1. declaration
  2. confession
  3. self-accusation
  4. affirmation
  5. assertion
  6. insistence
  7. confirmation
  8. self-reproach
Noun
  • But campaigners and researchers say the declaration must now lead to action.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The burial ground was eventually forgotten until at least 2006, when the City of New York placed restrictive declarations on the site to protect those buried there.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of declaration
Noun
  • De Mello’s confession came just days before Lizzie’s trial began on June 5, 1893, raising questions about whether his arrest influenced the jury.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The book stresses the importance of the sacraments and other orthodoxy, such as oral confession to a priest and the transubstantiation of Christ’s body and blood when taking communion.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of confession
Noun
  • This element of self-accusation is what makes an apocalypse story distinctively modern.
    — Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2024
Definition of self-accusation
Noun
  • The welcome return, another highlight in a rich career, sparked the latest of Scott’s recurring affirmations.
    — Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026
  • While the car caravans are acknowledged as a symbol of cultural pride and, for many, an affirmation of identity, Chicago city officials and Mexican Independence Day festival planners alike worry about the potential danger.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of affirmation
Noun
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to prohibit persecution.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to outlaw persecution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of assertion
Noun
  • Hamas leaders were being sheltered in Qatar—but only at the insistence of Israel and the United States.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Apple's stubborn insistence on keeping base iPhones at 60Hz while budget Android phones offer zippier refresh rates has always baffled me.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of insistence
Noun
  • The agreement therefore marks a development step rather than confirmation that the MsNB has entered operational deployment.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The spacecraft gathered more detailed pictures last fall, followed by confirmation of the discovery early this year.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of confirmation
Noun
  • On the one hand, self-reproach is a convenient stance for showrunner Ryan Condal to take.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 June 2026
  • Laughing, by contrast, conveyed that the person understood the mistake was trivial and didn’t require dramatic self-reproach.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of self-reproach

Browse Nearby Words

self-imposed
self-incrimination
self-incriminations
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-incrimination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-incrimination. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on self-incrimination

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about self-incrimination

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All