self-improvement

American  

[self-im-proov-muhnt, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪmˈpruv mənt, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. improvement of one's mind, character, etc., through one's own efforts.

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self-improvement British  

noun

1. the improvement of one's status, position, education, etc, by one's own efforts

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Other Word Forms

• self-improvable adjective
• self-improver noun
• self-improving adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-improvement

First recorded in 1735–45

Explanation

The process of making yourself a better or more knowledgable person can be called self-improvement. Doing sit-ups every night and learning to speak Mandarin might be part of your new self-improvement routine. Anything you do in an attempt to improve yourself is self-improvement. Volunteering at a homeless shelter, going to college, learning to meditate — all of these things can lead to self-improvement. Often, self-improvement and self-help are used interchangeably. The improvement part of this word originally meant "making money with something," but by the 1640s it came to mean "the act of making better."

Example Sentences

Khushal says the initial appeal of some manosphere influencers was the "self-improvement" message they were spreading, at a time he really needed it.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Either Americans have stumbled into a golden age of self-improvement beyond the wildest lectures of Emerson, or an entire civilization is undergoing an existential crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Traveling while podcasting has always been a challenge for Chris Williamson, the host of the self-improvement and philosophy podcast “Modern Wisdom.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

Emerson agreed that the education and self-improvement parts of the plan were critical for boosting income.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025

She spent the day as she often did, on self-improvement.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart