self-examination
Americannoun
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examination into one's own state, conduct, motives, etc.
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Medicine/Medical. examination of one's body for signs of illness or disease.
breast self-examination.
noun
Other Word Forms
- self-examining adjective
Etymology
Origin of self-examination
First recorded in 1640–50
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.
Indeed, her book is replete with their habit of self-examination, an unflattering comparison with today’s legacy press.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Still, it might be helpful to know that once Georgiou crossed over to the Prime Universe with Michael Burnham and the Discovery crew, her arc became one of self-examination and, eventually, a chance at redemption.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025
It is as close to self-examination as he comes, at least in front of the parole board.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
Hearing about a death from breast cancer at age 33 led Chelsea -- then 28 -- to conduct her own self-examination, where she discovered a lump.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2024
The psychology is suspended dexterously between self-examination and open confession, and the reader who accepts the actual dramatic situation as suggested by Browning loses the finest and subtlest savour of the speech.
From Shelburne Essays, Third Series by More, Paul Elmer
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.