inner-directed

[in-er-di-rek-tid, -dahy-]

adjective

1. guided by internalized values rather than external pressures.

inner-directed

adjective

1. guided by one's own conscience and values rather than external pressures to conform Compare other-directed

Other Word Forms

• inner-direction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inner-directed¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

This is what Wilson was great at: volume, weight, sincerity and capturing deep, human, inner-directed presence.

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“I wanted to show that kind of brooding, contemplative, inner-directed person that’s the essence of the man.”

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The inner-directed aesthetic concerns a queen’s personal identity.

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One is inner-directed, determined to build self-esteem.

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A couple of passages can be read as inner-directed.

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Related Words

• boastful 
• pompous 
• self-absorbed 
• selfish 
• subjective