self-improvement

American  

[self-im-proov-muhnt, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪmˈpruv mənt, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. improvement of one's mind, character, etc., through one's own efforts.

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self-improvement British  

noun

1. the improvement of one's status, position, education, etc, by one's own efforts

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Other Word Forms

• self-improver
  noun
• self-improvable
  adjective
• self-improving
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-improvement

First recorded in 1735–45

Explanation

The process of making yourself a better or more knowledgable person can be called self-improvement. Doing sit-ups every night and learning to speak Mandarin might be part of your new self-improvement routine. Anything you do in an attempt to improve yourself is self-improvement. Volunteering at a homeless shelter, going to college, learning to meditate — all of these things can lead to self-improvement. Often, self-improvement and self-help are used interchangeably. The improvement part of this word originally meant "making money with something," but by the 1640s it came to mean "the act of making better."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-improvement

Completing his latest course highlights Azpilicueta's thirst for knowledge and a desire for constant self-improvement.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

"It's hard to overstate how dangerous speeding towards RSI is," Wang posted in response to Coxon's resignation, referring to recursive self-improvement, which is a technique where software is designed to continuously teach itself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Both have begun to use their most sophisticated models to train the next generation, in a process known as recursive self-improvement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

This moment’s dilithium crystal is recursive self-improvement, used already in the lab to develop the next models, doing double duty to turn today’s tech dweeb, very pleasurably, into a high priest of the Eschaton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

She is working on a thought about her bossy older sister: Carla has a tendency to lace all her compliments with calls to self-improvement.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez