self-determination

[self-di-tur-muh-ney-shuhn, self-]

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.

self-determination

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

Other Word Forms

• self-determined adjective
• self-determining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-determination¹

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

Example Sentences

“Opalite,” a reflection on self-determination, captures “exactly how I feel right now,” she said.

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It also says that once the plan is complete there may be a "credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood".

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After the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority completes reforms, according to the document, “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

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The plan suggests that if the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority is reformed, conditions "may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood".

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It says that “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, such as by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” is an example of antisemitism.

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Related Words

• autonomy 
• home rule 
• self-government 
• self-reliance 
• self-rule 
• self-sufficiency www.thesaurus.com
• separation 
• sovereignty