itself
Americanpronoun
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a reflexive form of it.
The battery recharges itself.
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an emphatic appositive of it, which, that, this, or a noun.
which itself is also true; Even without flowers, the bowl itself is beautiful.
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(used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).
The chameleon's ability to change color is a protection for itself.
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its normal or customary self.
After much tender care, the puppy was soon itself again.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of it 1
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(intensifier)
even the money itself won't convince me
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(preceded by a copula) its normal or usual self
my cat isn't itself today
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of itself
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hit self. See it 1, 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.
We need to look more broadly at how childhood itself has changed, says psychologist Peter Gray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The couple also drew a distinction between the ceremony itself, which was just family, and the rest of the wedding weekend.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
It is a chilling dynamic that keeps repeating itself in American culture, and one at the heart of “American Hostage,” a dramatic miniseries making its debut Sunday on MGM+.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
In dense ice fields, individual floes hit nearby pieces much more often than the wind itself changes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The great golden organ was one that Mozart had played, and some of its notes seemed to come from heaven itself.
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.
