self-definition
Americannoun
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the act or process of defining or identifying one's own character, purpose, role, etc.
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the description used by someone to define or identify their own character, purpose, role, etc.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
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
In L.A., where weather made them a year-round option, sandals were central to style and self-definition.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2022
Education will be part of the continuous self-definition of the human being throughout one's entire life.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
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.
