self-knowledge

American  

[self-nol-ij, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈnɒl ɪdʒ, ˈsɛlf- /

noun

1. knowledge or understanding of oneself, one's character, abilities, motives, etc.

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self-knowledge British  

noun

1. knowledge of one's own character, etc

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Etymology

Origin of self-knowledge

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-knowledge

The kind of courage and self-knowledge that it must have taken to sort of go backwards.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

What they might do, though, is remind him why he became so widely adored — valuable self-knowledge for an artist whose great subject has always been the transformative power of love.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026

Stylishness was certainly important to Mr. Stern, and he had enough self-knowledge to laugh about it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

“Maybe,” she reasons with a weary sigh, arriving at some self-knowledge, “I’m just kinda like this.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

I have one outstanding character trait that must be obvious to anyone who’s known me for any length of time: I have a great deal of self-knowledge.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank