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• self
  self

  noun

  a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.
• self-
  self-

  a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self ” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself ” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself ” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself ” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).

self

¹ American  

[self] / sɛlf /

noun

• selves
  plural

1. a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.

   one's own self.

2. a person's nature, character, etc..

   his better self.

3. personal interest.

4. Philosophy.

   1. the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.

   2. the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.

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adjective

1. being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.

2. being of one piece with or the same material as the rest.

   drapes with a self lining.

3. Immunology. the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system (contrasted with nonself).

4. Obsolete. same.

pronoun

• selves
  plural

1. myself, himself, herself, etc..

   to make a check payable to self.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to self-pollinate.

self- ² American  

1. a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self ” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself ” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself ” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself ” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).

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self ¹ British  

/ sɛlf /

noun

1. the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing

2. a person's usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristics

   she looked her old self again

3. rare a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their

4. one's own welfare or interests

   he only thinks of self

5. an individual's consciousness of his own identity or being

6. philosophy that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego

7. a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon

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pronoun

1. not_standard myself, yourself, etc

   seats for self and wife

adjective

1. of the same colour or material See also self-coloured

   a dress with a self belt

2. obsolete the same

self- ² British  

combining form

1. of oneself or itself

   self-defence

   self-rule

2. by, to, in, due to, for, or from the self

   self-employed

   self-inflicted

   self-respect

3. automatic or automatically

   self-propelled

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Usage

What does self- mean? Self- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “self,” in a variety of senses. Often, it is used to mean "of the self," "independent," or "automatic." In many instances, it is separated from the second element with a hyphen, as in self-government. It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms. Self- comes from Old English self, meaning “self.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• selves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of self

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English self, selfa; cognate with Dutch zelf, German selb-, Old Norse sjalfr, Gothic silba; akin to Irish féin, Latin suī, sē

Explanation

Your self is your sense of who you are, deep down — your identity. When you let someone else know you well, you reveal your true self to them. If the subject of your thoughts is you, you're thinking about your self — or, alternately, yourself. There are parts of your brain that make it possible for you to think about the concept of self, and schools of philosophy devoted to exploring why people have a unique sense of self. Psychologists also study the development of the self, or the beginning of self-awareness, in children. Self comes from the Old English, in which it means "one's own person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self self- selves

Skeptics have argued that so-called self regulation isn’t adequate given that recent AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies have demonstrated that they are improving at potentially alarming rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"You really need to think of your future self and what that person will need to retire comfortably."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The record, a gorgeous collection of songs about yearning — for love, self, art, everything — is meant to be shared in a small room.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Either sister’s sense of self is fundamentally rooted in the other.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Phineas will never be his old self again.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

By contrast, Train SMART’s marketing emphasizes exercises on de-escalation and secure storage, topics particularly important for gun owners who are interested in self- and family defense.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2025

At the heart of the political conversation this week are the government's self- imposed "fiscal rules".

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

“They exist as figures to admire, due to the ways in which they amplify self- acceptance, empowerment and celebrate individuality,” she said.

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2023

And populations in Africa and Asia, feeling they had earned liberation from prewar colonialism, began to reach for more self- determination and national legitimacy.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

The end was nowhere in sight inside Camp 14, which was self- sufficient except for occasional trainloads of salt.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Is the collective pronoun meant to be a proxy for her private and public selves?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

With objects spanning millennia and cultures, this exhibit explores the dynamic relationships among instruments, art and our physical selves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

That connection to their younger selves is something they channel in their first stage appearance together at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where Cumming is now artistic director.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Our criminal records will always be searchable, so formerly incarcerated people have to be extremely careful of how we’re presenting our digital selves.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

One of Chitrigupta’s miniature selves hopped onto his shoulder, climbed onto his face, and scratched his nose while he spoke.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Related Words

• character
• ego
• identity
• individuality
• myself
• person
• personality