self-possessed
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-possessed
First recorded in 1760–70
Explanation
If you're self-possessed, you always seem to be calm and confident. It's easier to be successful as a substitute teacher if you're self-possessed than if you're nervous and uncertain. Someone who's particularly poised can be described as self-possessed. It's a hard quality to fake, but a worthwhile one to aspire to; other people tend to take you more seriously if you're self-possessed. The adjective self-possessed and noun self-possession first appeared in English around 1740, with the sense of "(in) command of one's emotions."
Vocabulary lists containing self-possessed
The Giver
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"The Open Window"
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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.
Roy herself appears as Radha, sharp and self-possessed.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
An even more welcome addition to our already bulging shelves is the belated arrival of a largely complete studio discography of Britain’s greatest conductor, and certainly its most self-possessed: the musical grandee Sir Thomas Beecham.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
My wise, self-possessed, inspirational friend says, “Cultivate your happy,” to balance the scales.
From Salon • Sep. 12, 2024
An exquisite portrait miniature of Rose Prentice, a domestic worker in her Sunday best, painted around 1837, joins the constellation of proud, self-possessed Black women to have served as muse to the artist Mickalene Thomas.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2023
It took a courageous and self-possessed woman to take such a step.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
