self-esteem
Americannoun
-
a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect.
- Antonyms:
- diffidence
-
an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.
Her self-esteem can sometimes be very annoying.
- Antonyms:
- diffidence
noun
-
respect for or a favourable opinion of oneself
-
an unduly high opinion of oneself; vanity
Synonym Usage
See pride.
Etymology
Origin of self-esteem
First recorded in 1650–60
Compare meaning
How does self-esteem compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
How you feel about yourself — your self-worth or your pride in yourself — is called self-esteem. It may be a blow to your self-esteem, for example, to find out you didn't get chosen for the scholarship you applied for. The "esteem" part of self-esteem comes from the Latin verb aestimare, meaning to value. The "self" part is self-explanatory, referring to you, yourself. So think of self-esteem as how you value yourself. If you think everything you do is wonderful and deserves praise, you have no self-esteem problems, but if you feel like you are not worthy of good things, you may have low self-esteem.
Vocabulary lists containing self-esteem
"Hip-Hop as Culture" and "I Am Somebody"
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"Speaking Up"
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"My Left Foot" and "Success Is a Mind-Set"
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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.
Livia may have been the awkward “country mouse” of her class, but she was a prodigy, and her fragile self-esteem relied on the superiority of her playing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
There is no way to totally protect your self-esteem or your bank account, but you can make smarter choices about who you ask out by taking some preliminary steps before a date.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
"Those are important measures, but they don't necessarily capture changes in self-esteem, relationship quality, or other day-to-day experiences."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
At first, the public accepts them at their own level of self-esteem, showering them with wealth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Humans are, of course, vastly more complicated; even in situations of extreme subordination, we can pump up our self-esteem with thoughts of our families, our religion, our hopes for the future.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
