selfhood

noun

self·​hood ˈself-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce selfhood (audio)
1
2
: the quality or state of being selfish

Examples of selfhood in a Sentence

he spent a year in a monastery determining the core of his selfhood
Recent Examples on the Web His characters are so recognizably, painfully millennial because their selfhood is so obviously mediated by the Internet; their instincts are inextricable from their upbringing in an online ecosystem that seizes every individual’s desires and vulnerabilities as fodder for profit and exploitation. Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024 But for the last few hundred years, these instruments have been treated as separate entities, one concerned with the physical world and validated by objective empirical testing, the other, largely, with subjective selfhood and human meaning. Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer, The Mercury News, 13 July 2024 The compassion owed to someone apparently in the cruel grip of an inexorably advancing disease that destroys selfhood should not obscure this fact: Biden’s malady is not robbing the nation of either an impressive political talent or a singularly public-spirited official. George F. Will, Washington Post, 8 July 2024 The work dealt with selfhood in flux and the many roles Black women occupy, but these themes are not always immediately legible, and that is why the series has been viewed as a breakthrough by critics. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for selfhood 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfhood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of selfhood was in 1568

Dictionary Entries Near selfhood

Cite this Entry

“Selfhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfhood. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

selfhood

noun
self·​hood ˈself-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce selfhood (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on selfhood

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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