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• self
  self

  noun

  a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.
• self-
  self-

  a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self ” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself ” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself ” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself ” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).

self

¹ American  

[self] / sɛlf /

noun

• selves
  plural

1. a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.

   one's own self.

2. a person's nature, character, etc..

   his better self.

3. personal interest.

4. Philosophy.

   1. the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.

   2. the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.

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adjective

1. being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.

2. being of one piece with or the same material as the rest.

   drapes with a self lining.

3. Immunology. the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system (contrasted with nonself).

4. Obsolete. same.

pronoun

• selves
  plural

1. myself, himself, herself, etc..

   to make a check payable to self.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to self-pollinate.

self- ² American  

1. a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self ” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself ” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself ” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself ” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).

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self ¹ British  

/ sɛlf /

noun

1. the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing

2. a person's usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristics

   she looked her old self again

3. rare a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their

4. one's own welfare or interests

   he only thinks of self

5. an individual's consciousness of his own identity or being

6. philosophy that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego

7. a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon

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pronoun

1. not_standard myself, yourself, etc

   seats for self and wife

adjective

1. of the same colour or material See also self-coloured

   a dress with a self belt

2. obsolete the same

self- ² British  

combining form

1. of oneself or itself

   self-defence

   self-rule

2. by, to, in, due to, for, or from the self

   self-employed

   self-inflicted

   self-respect

3. automatic or automatically

   self-propelled

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Usage

What does self- mean? Self- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “self,” in a variety of senses. Often, it is used to mean "of the self," "independent," or "automatic." In many instances, it is separated from the second element with a hyphen, as in self-government. It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms. Self- comes from Old English self, meaning “self.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• selves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of self

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English self, selfa; cognate with Dutch zelf, German selb-, Old Norse sjalfr, Gothic silba; akin to Irish féin, Latin suī, sē

Explanation

Your self is your sense of who you are, deep down — your identity. When you let someone else know you well, you reveal your true self to them. If the subject of your thoughts is you, you're thinking about your self — or, alternately, yourself. There are parts of your brain that make it possible for you to think about the concept of self, and schools of philosophy devoted to exploring why people have a unique sense of self. Psychologists also study the development of the self, or the beginning of self-awareness, in children. Self comes from the Old English, in which it means "one's own person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self self- selves

"I made a gamble on my future self to actually repay it," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Federal Reserve policymakers watch inflation expectations closely, out of concern that if consumers expect fast-price increases, they will increase their current-day spending and make those expectations self fulfilling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

I urge you not to judge your former self.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Either sister’s sense of self is fundamentally rooted in the other.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

On the morning of the second day, I crawled out of bed feeling almost like my old self again.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

At the heart of the political conversation this week are the government's self- imposed "fiscal rules".

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

The participants who performed acts of niceness reported higher well-being on all four—a sense of meaning in life, self- satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and mood—than those who did errands.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2023

But “Hello Tomorrow!” suggests that deceptions, self- and otherwise, are the rocket fuel that keeps us moving through an otherwise indifferent universe.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

Hermaphrodites may self- fertilize, but typically they will mate with another of their species, fertilizing each other and both producing offspring.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

“That can be the cheapest kind of self- indulgence. You stop that!”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

The goal of mourning is to make that phrase true: The memory of the dead actually improves our physical lives and our moral selves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Extreme Makeover” pitched each contestant’s journey as personal, ending with them showing their “new, improved” selves to their friends and family.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

Is the collective pronoun meant to be a proxy for her private and public selves?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

The original production had two younger actors looking forward to their older selves, but Cumming suggested to director Andrew Panton of Dundee Rep that he cast older actors who could play younger versions of themselves.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

They’d become their emergency selves, in which lopped-off state they felt humanity stretched smoothly between them like one long wash line.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• character
• ego
• identity
• individuality
• myself
• person
• personality