as in natures
the set of qualities that makes a person, a group of people, or a thing different from others
some believe that it's only in times of great stress that a person's true self is revealed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 selves
The sequence left us pondering our pet cats and, for good measure, our worst selves.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Whatever the reason, the rest of the day, ghosts of my former selves appeared around every sandy corner.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
So much so that Walsh has written about spirituality, manifestation, and the shadow—Carl Jung’s concept that acknowledges the hidden aspects of ourselves that our conscious selves don’t always recognize.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 7 May 2026
This year’s Red Sox are a more extreme version of their previous selves.
—Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
But for the first three games, the Knicks looked like their regular-season selves — struggling to fully integrate Towns into the offense.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Players did that from the first day, seamlessly providing a professional, healthy environment where everyone was encouraged to bring their best selves.
—Pj Green
april 30, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
Rotterdam is what happens when a city in the midst of transformation adapts to change without losing any reverence for its former selves.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 23 Apr. 2026
This is our opportunity to show our real selves and be together.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Whatever the reason, the rest of the day, ghosts of my former selves appeared around every sandy corner.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
So much so that Walsh has written about spirituality, manifestation, and the shadow—Carl Jung’s concept that acknowledges the hidden aspects of ourselves that our conscious selves don’t always recognize.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 7 May 2026
This year’s Red Sox are a more extreme version of their previous selves.
—Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
But for the first three games, the Knicks looked like their regular-season selves — struggling to fully integrate Towns into the offense.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Players did that from the first day, seamlessly providing a professional, healthy environment where everyone was encouraged to bring their best selves.
—Pj Green
april 30, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
Rotterdam is what happens when a city in the midst of transformation adapts to change without losing any reverence for its former selves.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 23 Apr. 2026
This is our opportunity to show our real selves and be together.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selves
Noun
-
These observations suggest that small, mysterious moons with surprisingly different natures are the source of the particles that make up the two outermost rings, and that there are probably even more undiscovered moons to add to the 29 already known around Uranus.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Last month, a Los Angeles jury found social media giants Meta and Google failed to warn children about the addictive natures of their platforms.—
Drew Aunkst,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Growing up in Southern California meant marinating in a beautifully chaotic media stew where local sports writers and radio personalities were some of our defining cultural commentators.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
-
It’s caused quite the stir on social media, with personalities like Clay Travis weighing in, saying First Take should have Bayless on during the NFL season.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Bieber did away with the stark, black finishes, replacing everything with soft fabrics in sand and cream tones, and hanging a brand sign on a mirror in the entryway—perfect for snapping selfies with Rhode’s viral lip-balm-holding phone case.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
As for accessories, Queen Rania carried the Kim’s mini roll-up bag in complementary warm tones.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Oh adds the notion of subsuming Asian-American characters into mainstream white storytelling, or leaving them out as too risky, is hopefully over.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Three amazing movie stars firing on all cylinders with great material and huge stakes for their characters in a beautiful setting.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selves. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
