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self-determined

American  
[self-di-tur-mind] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈtɜr mɪnd /

adjective

  1. (of a program, course of action, etc.) chosen and controlled by oneself.

  2. (of a person) choosing and controlling one's own actions, career, path through life, etc.

  3. (of a people or nation) self-governed.


Other Word Forms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Maybe that quality of unflinching, self-determined honesty is what makes her so universally appealing.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2023

His self-determined walk away into the sunrise is a victory over a ruinous game that would have stolen the jersey off his back years ago had he not been so calculatedly self-protective.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 2023

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the new humanitarian relocation program is intended to give those persecuted by the Taliban “a bit of home and the chance of a free, self-determined and secure life.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2022

Ian had few role models for her self-determined path, citing only Nina Simone and Victoria Spivey, a blues singer and writer who made her first impact in the 1920s.

From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2022

He drifted to the station aimlessly; he had ceased to be self-determined.

From The House with the Green Shutters by George Douglas Brown

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