self-respect

American  

[self-ri-spekt, self-] / ˈsɛlf rɪˈspɛkt, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. proper esteem or regard for the dignity of one's character.

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self-respect British  

noun

1. a proper sense of one's own dignity and integrity

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Other Word Forms

• self-respectful adjective
• self-respecting adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-respect

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

She said Atkins' behaviour "totally eroded my self-respect and my self-esteem".

From BBC

The Continent “produced the genius of Mozart and Beethoven,” and it isn’t narrow or xenophobic to feel pride in this; it is a just self-respect without which you won’t be able to continue in history.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It wasn’t a matter of Gandhi or Dr. King then,” he said of the library sit-in, “it was just my own private pride and self-respect.”

From Los Angeles Times

“She taught me how to be a real woman, to have strength and self-respect, and to never give those things away,” Witherspoon said.

From Los Angeles Times

But he also lives for “the moment an audience will abandon its dignity and its self-respect” and laugh.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dignity
• pride
• self-assurance
• self-confidence
• self-esteem
• self-worth