self-expression

[ self-ik-spresh-uh n, self- ]

/ ˈsɛlf ɪkˈsprɛʃ ən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

the expression or assertion of one's own personality, as in conversation, behavior, poetry, or painting.

Nearby words

self-exculpatory, self-executing, self-exile, self-existent, self-explanatory, self-expression, self-feed, self-feeder, self-fertile, self-fertilization, self-financing

Origin of self-expression

First recorded in 1890–95

Related forms

self-ex·pres·sive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-expression

With its emphasis on self-expression and three-dimensional adolescents, Awkward.
In Praise of ‘Awkward’: OMFG MTV, Like, Really Gets High School|Amy Zimmerman|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At a time when personal freedom and self-expression swept the country, Rüdiger pressed for more independence.
Hunting Down Aribert Heim, Egypt’s Hidden Nazi|Nicholas Kulish, Souad Mekhennet|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Classicist James Romm writes that we have replaced head-to-head competition with collaboration and self-expression.
The Olympics Wimps Out on Wrestling and Competition|James Romm|February 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Another theme that I thought was so powerful was the importance of self-expression and the pain of being denied a voice.
Ping Fu’s Journey from Cultural Revolution Orphan to Geomagic CEO|Katie Baker|January 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Stuyvesant High School for Shy Nerds, The Oberlin Academy for Self-Expression, and Huntah College for Everybody.
Gary Shteyngart: How I Write|Noah Charney|December 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Like a spark thrown among oily rags, it set my whole being aflame with longing for self-expression.
Hungry Hearts|Anzia Yezierska
That desire for self-expression is indeed already almost an instinct with many of us.
The Passionate Friends|Herbert George Wells
It is not in industry alone that the natural impulses of the person for response, recognition, and self-expression are balked.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
He held that every man should sing, speak, paint or carve—this that he might taste the joys of self-expression.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13|Elbert Hubbard
All singing should be idealized, should be the result of self-expression, of an expression of the emotions.
The Renaissance of the Vocal Art|Edmund Myer

British Dictionary definitions for self-expression

self-expression

noun

the expression of one's own personality, feelings, etc, as in painting, poetry, or other creative activity

Derived Forms

self-expressive, adjective

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