self-reliant
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-reliant
First recorded in 1840–50
Vocabulary lists containing self-reliant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s all very self-reliant farmers and ranchers out here. We don’t want any property tax.”
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
Meanwhile, China’s leaders don’t want to be a junior partner to the West and have girded the economy to be more self-reliant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
The charity further states that it hopes, by providing children in the foster care system with a stable, comfortable environment, it will enable them to grow into “responsible, self-reliant adults.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026
These feats help lay the groundwork for its transition into a more self-reliant economy and efforts to rebuild consumer confidence.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
The sport offers so many opportunities for suffering and so few opportunities for glory that only the most tenaciously self-reliant and self-motivated are likely to succeed at it.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
