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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Recent Examples of self-reliance
However, there is also some advantage for resilience and self-reliance.
—
Joshua Pearce, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Furthermore, achieving homegrown development of these high-energy ion implanters marks a major boost to China’s semiconductor self-reliance, reinforcing the country’s ability to produce critical components without depending on foreign technology.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 Jan. 2026
If these environments structurally limit what families can achieve, continuing to measure them against self-reliance standards may be setting them up to fail.
—Ilana Seff, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
It was also supposed to significantly reduce food imports, enhance the country’s self-reliance, involve the private sector in policy development and create thousands of new jobs.
—Majirata Latela, The Dial, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-reliance
Joshua Pearce, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Furthermore, achieving homegrown development of these high-energy ion implanters marks a major boost to China’s semiconductor self-reliance, reinforcing the country’s ability to produce critical components without depending on foreign technology.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 Jan. 2026
If these environments structurally limit what families can achieve, continuing to measure them against self-reliance standards may be setting them up to fail.
—Ilana Seff, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
It was also supposed to significantly reduce food imports, enhance the country’s self-reliance, involve the private sector in policy development and create thousands of new jobs.
—Majirata Latela, The Dial, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-reliance
Noun
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These include emotional regulation, giving and receiving feedback, independence and teamwork.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Like Fed officials who vote on interest-rate decisions, researchers at the 12 regional banks and Board of Governors go to great lengths to establish independence from outside political actors.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That impetus brought Lance Hammer back out of the woodwork, a gauntlet thrown to himself to think through problematic contradictions involving the quite different — and often sparring — human verticals of capability, autonomy, and decline.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
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Navigating such thorny topics as consent and autonomy in the throes of dementia, the film is relentless in its exploration of impossible-to-answer questions, and uses, as its vessel, three sensational performers who make its drama both luminous and entirely devastating.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Here, China has a clear goal to boost self-sufficiency.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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Beijing has prioritized technological self-sufficiency, boosting domestic chip companies.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reliance. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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