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

Almost all self-identity regulations adopted so far are discriminatory, according to lawyer Ilona Boros from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

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

In his community God is released from the abstractness of a mysterious self-identity, as well as from the naïve imprisonment in a bodily shape, in which he is represented by sculpture.

From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 07 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Various