self-employed

American  

[self-em-ploid, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɛmˈplɔɪd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. earning one's living directly from one's own profession or business, as a freelance writer or artist, rather than as an employee earning salary or commission from another.

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self-employed British  

adjective

1. earning one's living in one's own business or through freelance work, rather than as the employee of another

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Usage

What does self-employed mean? Self-employed means earning one's main income by getting paid directly for one’s work, such as by owning one's own business, as opposed to being an employee and getting paid by an employer. When people describe themselves as self-employed, it typically means that this is their primary way of earning income, and that they do it full-time—as opposed to working as an employee and doing freelance work on the side, for example. The term self-employed is often used by and applied to people who consider themselves business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Self-employed is sometimes used to collectively refer to self-employed people, as in This program is intended to help the self-employed. The state of being self-employed is self-employment. Example: I love being self-employed—my boss is amazing.

Other Word Forms

• self-employment noun

Etymology

Origin of self-employed

First recorded in 1945–50

Explanation

If you own your business or do freelance work, you're self-employed. Self-employed people don't work for an employer. When someone is employed, it means they work or have a job. When you're self-employed, you work and pay income taxes like any other worker, but the way your job is defined is different. You're either a business owner, or someone who does freelance jobs. You might be a self-employed plumber or a self-employed editor — either way, you work for yourself.

Example Sentences

Also distorting numbers are what’s called zero-hours contracts as well as the growing number of the self-employed, gig workers and the proliferation of internships, none of which are captured in official statistics.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The 56-year-old, who is self-employed and pays out of her own pocket because her health insurance does not cover weight-loss drugs, says the financial sacrifices have been worth it.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Many self-employed, private sector and informal workers are barely hanging on.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

The tax break isn’t for wage workers; it’s for the self-employed and business owners.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

Scaramouche, a self-employed painter, was one of the best tennis players among people of colour in Johannesburg.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane