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 • Oct. 16, 2025

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 • Aug. 3, 2024

Those who remain “evangelical” by self-definition and do not want their movement to mean what I just called it have the responsibility to wrestle it back in a different direction.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2024

Here, I refuse to let grief become self-definition: I live unfettered from the speed of emergency.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2022

It is a universe of existence in which a species is committed to its further self-definition in defiance of nature while still dependent upon it.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai