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
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.
Redzepi says the allegations have prompted years of self-examination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
If it were a person, that threshold might mark the start of some serious self-examination.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
“There’s so much more self-examination — and so much more self-indictment,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
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
In a day like this, when hearing and thinking, without doing, is so common, no one can justly wonder that I press upon men the absolute need of self-examination.
From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by John Charles Ryle
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.
