self-imposed

American  

[self-im-pohzd, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪmˈpoʊzd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. imposed on one by oneself.

   a self-imposed task.

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self-imposed British  

adjective

1. (of a task, role, or circumstance) having been imposed on oneself by oneself

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Etymology

Origin of self-imposed

First recorded in 1775–85

Explanation

Anything that's self-imposed has been decided by you, not enforced by someone else. If you set a self-imposed bedtime of 11:00, it's completely voluntary. Your school's starting time is decided by the school itself, but if you make sure to get there a half hour before your first class, that's self-imposed. And if your mom instructs you to apologize to a friend whose feelings you hurt, that's not self-imposed, because she's telling you to do it. When someone is described as being in "self-imposed exile," that means they've left the country of their own free will, rather than being made to leave.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-imposed

Fiscal rules are the government's self-imposed constraints to manage decisions on spending and tax.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

In “Everything’s Falling,” the Warning contends with self-imposed songwriting limits that boxed them in as children — and tear down old personas to reveal their continuous, however imperfect, process of growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

I see countless patients, especially high-functioning women, who follow self-imposed meal plans with perfectionistic zeal—but who also report entire eating episodes they have no real memory of.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Navigating her self-imposed deadline, she fights the urge to reduce her project to marks on a checklist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Falling into that pit of self-imposed isolation didn’t take long.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin