SELF-POSSESSION Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'self-possession' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of self-possession are aplomb , assurance , and confidence . While all these words mean "a state of mind or a manner marked by easy coolness and freedom from uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment," self-possession implies an ease or coolness under stress that reflects perfect self-control and command of one's powers. // answered the insolent question with complete self-possession

Q: When might 'aplomb' be a better fit than 'self-possession'?

In some situations, the words aplomb and self-possession are roughly equivalent. However, aplomb implies a manifest self-possession in trying or challenging situations. // handled the reporters with great aplomb

Q: When could 'assurance' be used to replace 'self-possession'?

The meanings of assurance and self-possession largely overlap; however, assurance carries a stronger implication of certainty and may suggest arrogance or lack of objectivity in assessing one's own powers. // handled the cross-examination with complete assurance

Q: When can 'confidence' be used instead of 'self-possession'?

Although the words confidence and self-possession have much in common, confidence stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance. // the confidence that comes from long experience

self-possession

noun

ˌself-pə-ˈze-shən

Definition of self-possession next

as in composure

evenness of emotions or temper that neurosurgeon's self-possession in the operating room is legendary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in restraint

the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions the little girl's self-possession very occasionally gave way to crying fits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word self-possession distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of self-possession are aplomb, assurance, and confidence. While all these words mean "a state of mind or a manner marked by easy coolness and freedom from uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment," self-possession implies an ease or coolness under stress that reflects perfect self-control and command of one's powers.

answered the insolent question with complete self-possession

When might aplomb be a better fit than self-possession?

In some situations, the words aplomb and self-possession are roughly equivalent. However, aplomb implies a manifest self-possession in trying or challenging situations.

handled the reporters with great aplomb

When could assurance be used to replace self-possession?

The meanings of assurance and self-possession largely overlap; however, assurance carries a stronger implication of certainty and may suggest arrogance or lack of objectivity in assessing one's own powers.

handled the cross-examination with complete assurance

When can confidence be used instead of self-possession?

Although the words confidence and self-possession have much in common, confidence stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance.

the confidence that comes from long experience

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-possession In this way, the film becomes a manifesto for alternate destinies within the Black experience, and a semi-formal goodbye letter to the delusional but politically expedient optimism of the 2010s, wherein the end of the neoliberal order becomes a gateway to renewed self-possession and agency. —

Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026 Shawn joins us a moment later, and he is reserved, not hostile but preternaturally wary, measuring out his words with pauses and deference cut with self-possession. —

Christopher Bonanos, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026 On Tuesday, Sasha De Sola, an old pro in the role, danced it with ravishing self-possession, hardly seeming to need the support of her consort Harrison James, who exuded the corn-fed charm of a linebacker while delivering cleanly polished grande pirouettes. —

Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026 Claude has gained a devoted following for its strange sense of mild self-possession. —

Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 But Vacancy, her first record solely under Interscope, doesn't completely abandon the self-possession and sensuality that's become synonymous with her sound. —

Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026 These books are deliciously, counterintuitively ethical—each one an instruction manual on a woman’s process of self-possession—many of them eschewing patriarchal morality and asserting a more dichotomous and sensual set of virtues. —

Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025 Hoodoo’s ancestral beauty rituals remind us of sacred glamour and the magic of self-possession and care. —

Essence, 21 Oct. 2025 This interrupts automatic defensiveness and signals self-possession. —

Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-possession

Noun

Kudos to Styles who managed to mostly keep his composure as Hernández glided around him.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
His consistent composure is his greatest advantage.

— Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026

Definition of composure

Cite this Entry

Style

“Self-possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-possession. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

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