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
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Recent Examples of selves
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
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
Fulbright, for me, became a bridge between two selves — the teacher and the woman.
—Joyeeta Banerjee, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
Some ghouls lose their humanity, while others become more violent shells of their former selves, attacking the wasteland creatures and the player.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
Clark and Carol’s authentic selves are, by contrast, buried under layers of artifice.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Their work aims to help teams be their authentic selves and bring their diverse ideas to the workplace every day.
—K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 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
Fulbright, for me, became a bridge between two selves — the teacher and the woman.
—Joyeeta Banerjee, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
Some ghouls lose their humanity, while others become more violent shells of their former selves, attacking the wasteland creatures and the player.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
Clark and Carol’s authentic selves are, by contrast, buried under layers of artifice.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Their work aims to help teams be their authentic selves and bring their diverse ideas to the workplace every day.
—K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selves
Noun
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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
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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
-
But while their games have some similarities, their personalities on the court are polar opposites.—
Colby Gordon,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
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The coaches have different styles, philosophies and personalities that fit their respective programs.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The elevator delivers you to the lobby, where hanging textiles in warm ocher tones serve as the signature art piece, dyed using dorozome, a traditional mud-dyeing technique, with soil from the building site itself.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, expect a traceless finish (on all skin tones), hyper fast absorption, and a bouncy base for makeup that resists pilling.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For The Times) Tell me about the decision to say goodbye to this show and these characters.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In observing the characters as much, in effect, from within as from without—and in intertwining their individual perspectives with the lines of force that surround them—Ouédraogo builds the movie in two directions at once, internal and external, deeply personal yet broad in range.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selves. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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