as in independent
able to take care of oneself or itself without outside help
she had to take a higher-paying job in order to be self-supporting
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Recent Examples of self-supporting
Tekton bonds the body together into a seamless, self-supporting monocoque optimized for thermal and leakproof integrity.
—
New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026
Public schools in Florida are funded on a per-student basis, and schools that operate at about half capacity or less typically do not generate enough money to be self-supporting, instead draining the district’s budget.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
Despite concerns that failure to be in the blue reading group in first grade dooms a child’s adult options to a career in coal mining (or worse, a lesser UC), both have been completely self-supporting (and not in the coal-mining industry) since graduating from college.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
The homes' cutting-edge features are designed to feed into a self-supporting energy system that powers each neighborhood with a community battery and has the capability to operate independently during a grid outage.
—Medgina Saint-Elien, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023
New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026
Public schools in Florida are funded on a per-student basis, and schools that operate at about half capacity or less typically do not generate enough money to be self-supporting, instead draining the district’s budget.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
Despite concerns that failure to be in the blue reading group in first grade dooms a child’s adult options to a career in coal mining (or worse, a lesser UC), both have been completely self-supporting (and not in the coal-mining industry) since graduating from college.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
The homes' cutting-edge features are designed to feed into a self-supporting energy system that powers each neighborhood with a community battery and has the capability to operate independently during a grid outage.
—Medgina Saint-Elien, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-supporting
independent
Adjective
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Cepeda has advocated for a more independent foreign policy and greater Latin American integration, while right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia have argued for closer alignment with Washington on security and economic issues.—
Sebastian Jimenez,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Local businesses, such as independent coffee shops, small law or accounting firms, boutique fitness studios, and neighborhood landscaping companies, often have job openings.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-supporting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-supporting. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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