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
Fox also produced movies such as Richard Eyre’s Iris (2001), about author Iris Murdoch and John Bayley starring Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville, who portrayed their younger selves, and Dench and Jim Broadbent as the couple in their senior years.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
Instead, O’Leary said couples should think small for the sake of their future selves, opting for a civil ceremony and a party afterwards with just a small group of friends.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
The program teaches young runners to pursue their best selves, not by competing against others, but by overcoming their own challenges.
—Michelle Edgar, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Our bodies go about their business, but our deeper selves flutter, like those blind moths, into that dim waiting room and linger until some inscrutable opening is granted us to start living again.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
But for the first time in a long time, Manchester United will go into all of those fixtures looking more like their old selves, with good players in good form, a pragmatist picking the team and plenty of rest.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The cast found ways to pay tribute to their on-screen selves through their clothing for the evening.
—Carly Witteman, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
The bulk of Dropout’s involvement plot-wise came down to the cast doing caricatures of their comedic selves on the set and during a police lineup, and Reich being inadvertently responsible for the robbery in question via a bad attempt at insurance fraud.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
The older women slow to watch their past selves.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
Instead, O’Leary said couples should think small for the sake of their future selves, opting for a civil ceremony and a party afterwards with just a small group of friends.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
The program teaches young runners to pursue their best selves, not by competing against others, but by overcoming their own challenges.
—Michelle Edgar, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Our bodies go about their business, but our deeper selves flutter, like those blind moths, into that dim waiting room and linger until some inscrutable opening is granted us to start living again.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
But for the first time in a long time, Manchester United will go into all of those fixtures looking more like their old selves, with good players in good form, a pragmatist picking the team and plenty of rest.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The cast found ways to pay tribute to their on-screen selves through their clothing for the evening.
—Carly Witteman, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
The bulk of Dropout’s involvement plot-wise came down to the cast doing caricatures of their comedic selves on the set and during a police lineup, and Reich being inadvertently responsible for the robbery in question via a bad attempt at insurance fraud.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
The older women slow to watch their past selves.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selves
Noun
-
But Lau wonders whether Horses will be able to avoid conflict, due to their inherent independent natures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Hval’s restless melodies and at-times Proustian lyrics trail cigarette smoke or the fragrance of roses toward litanies of memory, all the while deconstructing the very natures of stage performance, recording technology, and digital existence.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
These outsized musical personalities often leave more distinctive fingerprints on the songs than the BTS members themselves do.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Crosby said some of her greatest strengths are bridging ideology gaps to get things done and not letting personalities get in the way.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hundreds of monarch butterflies are painted across the translucent panels, and when sunlight shines through, the structure glows in rich amber tones.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
For years, buyers leaned toward neutral tones because they were seen as safer investments.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Though the tension is supercharged by the Kennedy name and the characters’ mutual fame, the fight itself resembles any ordinary couple bickering about their in-laws and lost spark.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In the same way characters come and go, bulletins from the outside world pop up as backdrop, with references to The Balfour Declaration and, more pertinently, the upcoming Peel Commission, which, published the following year, would open the gates to partition.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selves. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
