selfhood

[ self-hood ]

/ ˈsɛlf hʊd /

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See synonyms for selfhood on Thesaurus.com

noun

the state of being an individual person; individuality.

one's personality.

selfishness.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of selfhood

First recorded in 1640–50; self + -hood

Words nearby selfhood

self-harm, self-hatred, selfheal, self-healing, self-help, selfhood, self-hypnosis, self-hypnotized, self-identification, self-identify, self-identity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use selfhood in a sentence

As it turns out, she’s the mother of two daughters, and the secrets she carries force us to reckon with distinctions between selfhood and selfishness, especially in the context of motherhood.
The 10 Best Movie Performances of 2021|Stephanie Zacharek|December 14, 2021|Time
An influential tradition, dating back at least as far as Descartes, held that non-human animals lacked conscious selfhood because they did not have rational minds to guide their behavior.
We Are Beast Machines - Issue 107: The Edge|Anil Seth|October 13, 2021|Nautilus
The essence of selfhood is neither a rational mind nor an immaterial soul.
We Are Beast Machines - Issue 107: The Edge|Anil Seth|October 13, 2021|Nautilus
It is a deeply embodied biological process, a process that underpins the simple feeling of being alive that is the basis for all our experiences of selfhood.
We Are Beast Machines - Issue 107: The Edge|Anil Seth|October 13, 2021|Nautilus

Instead, each American should spend his days cultivating his individualism, his selfhood.
How the American Novel Lost Its Religion|Philip F. Gura|April 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is this socialized and conscious selfhood which is both the aim and the hope of true democracy.
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin
Helen disappears from the scene, she has contributed her share, her own selfhood, to the experience of the young man.
Homer's Odyssey|Denton J. Snider
What Swedenborg calls 'selfhood,' the proprium, is not in him.
The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume II|Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I believe, indeed, that this objection to be Superior was a remnant of the selfhood, colored with humility.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13|Elbert Hubbard
But the one universal expression for the entire community is in nationalism, the assertion of selfhood as a people.
Our Part in the Great War|Arthur Gleason

British Dictionary definitions for selfhood

selfhood

/ (ˈsɛlfhʊd) /

noun

philosophy

the state of having a distinct identity
the individuality so possessed

a person's character

the quality of being egocentric

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

selfhood

Origin of selfhood

Words nearby selfhood

Words related to selfhood

How to use selfhood in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for selfhood