self-determination

American  

[self-di-tur-muh-nay-shuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlf dɪˌtɜr məˈneɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. determination by oneself or itself, without outside influence.

2. freedom to live as one chooses, or to act or decide without consulting another or others.

3. the determining by the people of the form their government shall have, without reference to the wishes of any other nation, especially by people of a territory or former colony.

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self-determination British  

noun

1. the power or ability to make a decision for oneself without influence from outside

2. the right of a nation or people to determine its own form of government without influence from outside

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Other Word Forms

• self-determined
  adjective
• self-determining
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-determination

1670–80; 1915–20 self-determination for def. 3

Explanation

In politics, self-determination is the process of citizens choosing their own government. On a personal level, self-determination is making choices and controlling your own life. Living with self-determination means deciding (or determining) for yourself and exerting some control over the things you do and the choices you make. This is the original sense of the word, first used in the 1680s. As a political concept, self-determination was popularized by President Woodrow Wilson at the end of the 19th century. It's an accepted idea today in international law that all people have a right to self-determination, freely choosing their leaders.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-determination

The agreement rules that out, emphasizing Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Greenlandic right to self-determination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Tuesday's ballot paper asked residents to respond either yes or no to the statement: "I support Piddington seeking to secede from the United Kingdom and pursuing self-determination."

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

"We are clear that the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination extends to the right to exploit their own natural resources," it said.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

To those who view Wilder’s stories as true examples of American self-determination and singular grit, that may read as sacrilege.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

In the close quarters of an American nuclear family, their mother's prodigious energy was becoming a real drain on their self-determination.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• autonomy
• home rule
• self-government
• self-reliance
• self-rule
• self-sufficiency
• separation
• sovereignty