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Synonyms

self-supporting

British  

adjective

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

  2. able to stand up or hold firm without support, props, attachments, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

These businesses are well established and self-supporting — and provide a modest income every month.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

To redeem the promise of abolition, Congress acted to alleviate poverty, help newly freed individuals become self-supporting citizens, and ensure access to education.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2024

But if it can solve some of these problems, the discoveries could help others learn how to live in a more self-supporting way.

From NewsForKids.net • Feb. 12, 2024

Today, Liu is a compassionate, productive, self-supporting member of his Bay Area community.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2023

There, in fact, as we shall see, the Inquisition was self-supporting and independent by reason of its share in the fines and confiscations, and restraint of any kind was difficult.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I by Lea, Henry Charles

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.