self-love

American  

[self-luhv] / ˈsɛlfˈlʌv /

noun

1. the instinct by which one's actions are directed to the promotion of one's own welfare or well-being, especially an excessive regard for one's own advantage.

2. conceit; vanity.

3. narcissism.

---

self-love British  

noun

1. the instinct or tendency to seek one's own well-being or to further one's own interest

---

Other Word Forms

• self-loving adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-love

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

The Love Yourself albums, which centered on self-love, mental health and personal growth resonated across cultures.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The diet culture of the ’90s was never totally vanquished, and Ozempic has complicated narratives about body size, health, and self-love, to put it mildly.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

The self-love script took hold in part because it offered a comforting narrative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

You write in the first few pages of your book that writing it was “an act of self-love after decades of defiance.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2025

It was rather like that Christmas morning sensation of being about to give a present that was bound to cause delight, a joyful feeling of blameless self-love.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan