self-reference

American  

[self-ref-er-uhns, -ref-ruhns] / ˈsɛlfˈrɛf ər əns, -ˈrɛf rəns /

noun

1. reference made to oneself, to one's own character or experience, or to a group with which one identifies.

2. Logic. the property of a statement that is a statement about itself, as “This statement is grammatical.”

---

Sensitive Note

Social, ethnic, or other groups often use terms of self-reference in a neutral, even affectionate or jocular way, much like nicknames. These self-referential terms function to reinforce solidarity among members of the group. However, when used by outsiders, these very same terms are perceived as offensive by those who belong to the group. Examples of self-referential terms are Canuck, chick, dyke, geek, nigger, queer.

Other Word Forms

• self-referential
  adjective
• self-referring
  adjective
• self-referentially
  adverb

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-reference

But she has built her web of fame through plenty of self-reference to her own real lived life.

From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2024

And each iteration of “Irma Vep” brings additional, increasingly complex ripples of self-reference.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2022

“When communities co-opt terms for self-reference or self-empowerment, it’s saying you can’t use that word against me. It belongs to me now,” he explains.

From Washington Post ● May 15, 2019

Pincus-Witten taxed him with narcissism—not incorrectly, but he failed to credit the steely discipline with which Nauman marshals his uses of self-reference.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 29, 2018

This speech, on Verena's part, was evidently perfunctory, and the grandeur of her self-reference jocular; she was much more serious when she went on quickly, "Do you mean to say Miss Birdseye promised you that?"

From The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) by James, Henry