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

Etymology

Origin of self-improvement

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

The reality TV star said six months in county jail — without cameras and her creature comforts — proved to be a period of self-improvement and empowerment.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Either Americans have stumbled into a golden age of self-improvement beyond the wildest lectures of Emerson, or an entire civilization is undergoing an existential crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

For instance: convenience, travel, fitness, experiences, freedom, relationships, generosity, luxury, social status and self-improvement.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025

At a key meeting of the Communist Party last month, China's leaders set the goal of accelerating "high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement" until 2030.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

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