herself
Americanpronoun
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an emphatic appositive of her or she.
She herself wrote the letter.
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a reflexive form of her.
She supports herself.
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(used in absolute constructions).
Herself still only a child, she had to take care of her four younger brothers and sisters.
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(used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).
She gave herself a facial massage. He asked her for a picture of herself.
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(used in comparisons after as orthan ).
She found out that the others were even more nervous than herself.
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her normal or customary self.
After a few weeks of rest, she will be herself again.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of she or her
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(intensifier)
the queen herself signed the letter
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(preceded by a copula) her normal or usual self
she looks herself again after the operation
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the wife or woman of the house
is herself at home?
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of herself
before 1000; Middle English hire-selfe, Old English hire self. See her, self
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.
As time went on, she noticed soreness in the glands of her neck and armpits and a general sense of not quite feeling herself.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Meanwhile, questions about her credentials took center stage, as she identified herself as a lawyer but in fact had never passed the bar exam.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Puerto has framed the suit as a way of fighting back against laws that she feels have compromised the future she wanted to give herself and her children.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
No one knew he was in love, but he was...so secretly, it seems, that even the lady herself didn't know he liked her!
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
