herself
Americanpronoun
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an emphatic appositive of her or she.
She herself wrote the letter.
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a reflexive form of her.
She supports herself.
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(used in absolute constructions).
Herself still only a child, she had to take care of her four younger brothers and sisters.
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(used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).
She gave herself a facial massage. He asked her for a picture of herself.
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(used in comparisons after as orthan ).
She found out that the others were even more nervous than herself.
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her normal or customary self.
After a few weeks of rest, she will be herself again.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of she or her
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(intensifier)
the queen herself signed the letter
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(preceded by a copula) her normal or usual self
she looks herself again after the operation
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the wife or woman of the house
is herself at home?
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of herself
before 1000; Middle English hire-selfe, Old English hire self. See her, self
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.
Even Lillard herself, as a five-year-old, knew and worried about the disease, her sister said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
And the aging-out of Judith, who named herself after the slayer of Holofernes and whom the Agency is trying to retire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Goodwin herself is steeped in retirement-planning knowledge and feels prepared — but realizes it’s still very precarious out there for women.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Svyrydenko said she had delivered "concrete results" in office and posted a photo of herself making a heart symbol with her hands during an address to parliament.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Those working in the sleeping rooms received far less supervision than those at the tables, and Betsie found herself with most of the day in which to minister to those around her.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
