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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

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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

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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

As a result, it presents as if it really does have a sense of self, has its own desires, and a ‘wellbeing’ that deserves protection.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

But that was followed by a difficult debut season, when he looked a shadow of his former self, and was pretty much taken to the cleaners by Leclerc.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

The findings suggest that chronic back pain can become closely connected with the brain's internal representation of the self.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

But then he jumps in time to his adult self, thinking back on his carefree days: “Ain’t it funny how the night moves / When you just don’t seem to have as much to lose.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

She wished she could suddenly turn into her old self.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr

Verbal jabs work a lot better if the would-be roaster has a sense of self- confidence, or at least the ability to fake it.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

A journalist said many in the media are "self- censoring" what they report, waiting to gauge how the new rulers will behave.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2025

The participants who performed acts of niceness reported higher well-being on all four—a sense of meaning in life, self- satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and mood—than those who did errands.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2023

But “Hello Tomorrow!” suggests that deceptions, self- and otherwise, are the rocket fuel that keeps us moving through an otherwise indifferent universe.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

Also, people were outright lying, which was driven either by self- deception or survival.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

“The decision of whether you might want to buy a Duo is not easy, because only one of its two selves is good.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

"But I see this as a race between our kind of obstinate, greedy selves and our brilliant, innovative selves," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

To paraphrase stylist Bailey Rose Quiñones, they’re ready to shed old selves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

In a separate post Sunday, he shared photos of his younger and current selves and celebrated survival and progress in his caption.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Each person held their wounded selves closely, clutching their pain as if it were a precious thing.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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