self-sufficient

American  

[self-suh-fish-uhnt, self-] / ˈsɛlf səˈfɪʃ ənt, ˌsɛlf- /

Also self-sufficing

adjective

1. able to supply one's own or its own needs without external assistance.

   The nation grows enough grain to be self-sufficient.

2. having extreme confidence in one's own resources, powers, etc..

   He was self-sufficient, and always reminded you of it.

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self-sufficient British  

adjective

1. able to provide for or support oneself without the help of others

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Other Word Forms

• self-sufficiency noun
• self-sufficiently adverb
• unself-sufficiency noun
• unself-sufficient adjective
• unself-sufficiently adverb

Etymology

Origin of self-sufficient

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

While brusque and self-sufficient, Tereza starts the film as the head-down, dutiful sort.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Attwood has recently separated from her husband of three years, footballer Bradley Dack, which she says made her feel "incredibly passionate" about being self-sufficient.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

The industry source told AFP that the need to import raw materials, the high energy costs and limited infrastructure mean the country cannot be entirely self-sufficient in medicine production.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Although China is self-sufficient in staples like rice and wheat, its massive pork industry remains dependent on foreign soybeans for over 80% of its feed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Unlike Easter Island and other remote Polynesian islands, Greenland could not support a self-sufficient food-producing society, though it did support self-sufficient Inuit hunter-gatherer populations before, during, and after the Norse occupation period.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• competent
• confident
• efficient
• self-supporting
• self-sustaining