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.
Start to finish, “Reality Check” is an exercise in self-examination and culpability.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 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
At once a tribute to the bygone movie palaces of his hometown of Recife, and an introspective self-examination focused on his relationship with film, this evocative documentary is a must-see for all cinephiles.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 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 fore-thrown shadow of the coming thought of self-examination awakens within them a vague instinctive dread; and they shudder, turn away, and by every effort avoid it.
From Know the Truth; A critique of the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jones, Jesse H.
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.
