self-sufficient
Americanadjective
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able to supply one's own or its own needs without external assistance.
The nation grows enough grain to be self-sufficient.
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having extreme confidence in one's own resources, powers, etc..
He was self-sufficient, and always reminded you of it.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-sufficient
First recorded in 1580–90
Explanation
If you take care of yourself and don't depend much on other people, you're self-sufficient. Some 20-year-olds are self-sufficient, while others still need help from their families. You can use self-sufficient to describe people who are independent financially, paying their own bills and working to support themselves, or people who are independent emotionally. It can also mean "growing enough food for its people" when you talk about a self-sufficient country or region: "They are trying to empower farmers so the country can become self-sufficient and maybe even begin to export food."
Vocabulary lists containing self-sufficient
My Side of the Mountain
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The Age of Jackson and Westward Expansion, Lessons 6–7
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Woodsong
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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.
The system isn’t completely self sufficient, but it will be by next year, Mathias hopes.
From National Geographic • May 23, 2018
It is the responsibility of educators to make sure that some of the material includes critical thinking, learning how to learn, etc., so that students will become self sufficient after leaving school.
From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2016
There came a time when as an adult, Roy says, he got curious about the process and what it meant as far as being self sufficient and the ability to survive.
From Washington Times • Jun. 18, 2016
No two-way communication is allowed, and mushers must remain self sufficient and all times, refusing any offers of help except from their handlers in Dawson City.
From The Guardian • Feb. 19, 2016
Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 55% of its food on a caloric basis.
From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
