self-definition

American  

[self-def-uh-nish-uhn] / ˈsɛlfˌdɛf əˈnɪʃ ən /

noun

plural

self-definitions

1. the act or process of defining or identifying one's own character, purpose, role, etc.

2. the description used by someone to define or identify their own character, purpose, role, etc.

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Other Word Forms

• self-definitional adjective

Example Sentences

Not to do so is to outsource the right’s self-definition to the most vile and discrediting.

From The Wall Street Journal

In those initial steps of self-definition, deconstructing the political and religious maps I’d grown up with, I had feared my parents’ disappointment.

From Los Angeles Times

This is not about identity politics but ennui: Even minuscule choices, like what socks to wear, are part of a larger cultural self-definition and viral conversation.

From Slate

J Street’s current self-definition begins: “J Street organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans to promote U.S. policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people.”

From Salon

It is “a living expression of the dynamic power of community,” the announcement said, one that “aims to inspire liberation, self-definition, community building and economic autonomy.”

From Los Angeles Times