selfhood

American  

[self-hood] / ˈsɛlf hʊd /

noun

1. the state of being an individual person; individuality.

2. one's personality.

3. selfishness.

---

selfhood British  

/ ˈsɛlfhʊd /

noun

1. philosophy

   1. the state of having a distinct identity

   2. the individuality so possessed

2. a person's character

3. the quality of being egocentric

---

Etymology

Origin of selfhood

First recorded in 1640–50; self + -hood

Example Sentences

For most adults, reading is a private endeavor, intrinsic to selfhood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

“Every time you do a practice like that, you’re literally opening up a new neuronal pattern in your brain that expands your selfhood, your ability and that wonderful word we use called ‘resilience.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2025

In the face of so much frenzied curation and compulsory personal branding, how might a modern human maintain some iota of unshared selfhood, a soupçon of Greta Garbo mystique?

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2024

And if she did slip in that fraught moment, the whole edifice of her selfhood, her life’s grand project, might well collapse.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2024

We catch this young girl at the dawn of her selfhood.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan