as in independence
the ability to care for one's self
the goal of the program is to help these people achieve self-subsistence and to end their dependence on government aid
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Recent Examples of self-subsistence
Pavas were often worn by jibaros, which were rural residents who worked on the island as self-subsistence farmers.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-subsistence
Noun
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These include emotional regulation, giving and receiving feedback, independence and teamwork.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
18 Feb. 2026
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Self-subsistence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-subsistence. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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