self-identity

American  

[self-ahy-den-ti-tee, -i-den-, self-] / ˈsɛlf aɪˈdɛn tɪ ti, -ɪˈdɛn-, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. the identity or consciousness of identity of a thing with itself.

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self-identity British  

noun

1. the conscious recognition of the self as having a unique identity

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Etymology

Origin of self-identity

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

The law stipulates that under the "right to self-identity", settlements are entitled to protect and preserve their "social structure".

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

For parents who choose to bring their newborn on outings — even a walk or a doughnut run — the experience can feel like a microdose of self-identity, said Reff.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2025

Jackson’s spectral self-identity was a guiding light as he and the composer Anna K. Jacobs collaborated on “Teeth,” a new musical based on Mitchell Lichtenstein’s 2007 indie scary movie of the same name.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2024

Growing up, Shiino said she had difficulty because of the gap between how she is treated because of her foreign appearance and her self-identity as Japanese.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

Applying these principles, we seem to get a propulsive force into our logic which the ordinary logic of a bare, stark self-identity in each thing never attains to.

From Varieties of Religious Experience, a Study in Human Nature by James, William