himself

pronoun

him·​self (h)im-ˈself 

 Southern also  -ˈsef

1

a

: that identical male one

—used reflexively, for emphasis, in absolute constructions, and in place of him especially when joined to another object

he considers himself lucky

he himself did it

himself unhappy, he understood the situation

a gift to his wife and himself

compare he entry 1

b

—used reflexively when the sex of the antecedent is unspecified

everyone must fend for himself

2

: his normal, healthy, or sane condition or self

hasn't been himself lately

3

chiefly Ireland and Scotland : a man of consequence

especially : the master of the house

Examples of himself in a Sentence

After a good night's sleep, he felt like himself again.

He's not himself today; something must be bothering him.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for himself

• bookshelf
• herself
• hisself
• itself
• meself
• myself
• nonself
• oneself
• thyself
• yourself
• elf
• self

Kids Definition

himself

pronoun

him·​self (h)im-ˈself 

1

: that identical male one : that identical one whose sex is unknown or immaterial

—used for emphasis or to show that the subject and object of the verb are the same

considers himself lucky

he himself did it

2

: his normal, healthy, or sane self

he's himself again