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self-esteem

[self-i-steem, self-]
See more synonyms for self-esteem on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect.
  2. an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.
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Origin of self-esteem

First recorded in 1650–60

Synonyms

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See pride.

Antonyms

diffidence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for self-esteem

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The evenings with her did something to reinstate him in his own self-esteem.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • You have not succeeded in making a fool of me; my self-esteem is satisfied.

    A Hero of Our Time

    M. Y. Lermontov

  • "You want nothing for self-esteem," she informed him gravely.

    The Lion's Skin

    Rafael Sabatini

  • The wound to his self-esteem was in the very tenderest spot of his nature.

  • My resolve neither wounds a friend nor hurts my own self-esteem.

    One Of Them

    Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for self-esteem

self-esteem

noun
  1. respect for or a favourable opinion of oneself
  2. an unduly high opinion of oneself; vanity
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for self-esteem

n.

1650s, from self- + esteem (n.). Popularized by phrenology, which assigned it a "bump" (Spurzheim, 1815).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper