self-discipline

[self-dis-uh-plin, self-]

noun

1. discipline and training of oneself, usually for improvement.

   Acquiring the habit of promptness requires self-discipline.

self-discipline

noun

1. the act of disciplining or power to discipline one's own feelings, desires, etc, esp with the intention of improving oneself

Other Word Forms

• self-disciplined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-discipline¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

He says he felt that the office environment would improve his self-discipline.

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Enrique is obsessive about PSG and his own self-discipline down to the finest details, with his watch even alerting him if he has not carried out any stretching or movement for 30 minutes.

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But it's feeding off a recent trend, fed by predatory social media influencers, that conflates masculinity with punishing self-discipline, the kind that rejects all pleasure and comfort as a feminizing — and thereby evil — force.

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But showing iron will, great determination and self-discipline, Pant fought his way back from what seemed a dead-end to his career.

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Perhaps it was Babitz’s lack of self-discipline, or her excessive drug use, or the incipient onset of Huntington’s disease, which would eventually take her life.

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Related Words

• attitude 
• character 
• decision 
• desire 
• determination 
• discipline 
• feeling 
• inclination 
• intention 
• mind 
• passion 
• power 
• resolution 
• resolve 
• wish