as in independence
the ability to care for one's self
some people don't achieve self-reliance until they're over 30 years old
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-reliance
The nonprofit has helped community members of all ages and abilities through programs that emphasize self-reliance, community and respect.
—
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Ugandans are taking steps toward self-reliance by producing drugs locally.
—Brian Simpson, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Tongue-in-cheek humor aside, Stoke’s target consumer is proud to be an American, and is also a family man who values hard work and self-reliance.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
Radical self-reliance is a key tenet of Burning Man.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-reliance
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Ugandans are taking steps toward self-reliance by producing drugs locally.
—Brian Simpson, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Tongue-in-cheek humor aside, Stoke’s target consumer is proud to be an American, and is also a family man who values hard work and self-reliance.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
Radical self-reliance is a key tenet of Burning Man.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-reliance
Noun
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The Athletic maintains full editorial independence.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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As Typhoon Edith nears and family dysfunction brews, Ren must claim his independence.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Beijing is also continuing its push to insulate itself from future shocks – including in its upcoming five-year plan, which aims to deepen a top-down drive for tech and industrial self-sufficiency.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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Canada’s perennial concern for political independence rests on the retention of as much economic sovereignty as possible in a world where self-sufficiency is impossible.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reliance. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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