self-devotion
Americannoun
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intense devotion of oneself to an activity or to a field or profession, as art or science.
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devotion of oneself to the care or service of another or others; self-sacrifice.
Her self-devotion to her sick mother prevented her from finishing college.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-devotion
First recorded in 1805–15
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.
The lesser-known “vulnerable” variety of self-devotion afflicts more reserved, fragile individuals who may resemble the self-effacing and thin-skinned characters portrayed by Woody Allen in his films.
From Scientific American • Feb. 5, 2013
"No man in the world was ever so sincere and modest in his self-devotion," wrote Marie in her secret notebook.
From Time Magazine Archive
I never saw anything beautiful in them except the self-devotion of some few good women who shine as stars amongst the general blackness.
From Australian Pictures Drawn with Pen and Pencil by Willoughby, Howard
He strove to conceal his satisfaction, but he knew too well that her voluntary self-devotion relieved him from a perplexing dilemma.
From Baron Bruno Or, the Unbelieving Philosopher, and Other Fairy Stories by Morgan, Louisa
In brief, in full, and finally, Lincoln's friendliness, through all its beautiful versatility, was a free and facile, a full and total, personal self-devotion.
From Abraham Lincoln's Cardinal Traits; A Study in Ethics, with an Epilogue Addressed to Theologians by Beardslee, Clark S.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
