self-respect
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-respect
First recorded in 1605–15
Explanation
When you feel proud of yourself, you have self-respect. If you act in an unfair or unkind way toward someone else, you might lose your self-respect. Things that make you feel good about the kind of person you are are great for building self-respect. If you cheat on a test, you're likely to lose some of that self-respect, but you may be able to regain it by admitting what you did to your teacher and making amends. You can also use the words dignity or self-worth.
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.
She said Atkins' behaviour "totally eroded my self-respect and my self-esteem".
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
The Continent “produced the genius of Mozart and Beethoven,” and it isn’t narrow or xenophobic to feel pride in this; it is a just self-respect without which you won’t be able to continue in history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
How do I keep my self-respect and continue to communicate with him?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
How does “the papa,” the upholder of tradition, as the musical’s opening number spells out, maintain his self-respect, if not his authority?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
I disliked them too, but this doll was better than a reading book, and you could own it with self-respect, seeing as it was a boy with guts.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
