a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.
one's own self.
a person's nature, character, etc..
his better self.
personal interest.
Philosophy.
the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.
the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.
being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.
being of one piece with or the same material as the rest.
drapes with a self lining.
Immunology. the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system (contrasted with nonself).
Obsolete. same.
the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing
a person's usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristics
she looked her old self again
rare a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their
one's own welfare or interests
he only thinks of self
an individual's consciousness of his own identity or being
philosophy that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego
a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon
of the same colour or material See also self-coloured
a dress with a self belt
obsolete the same
of oneself or itself
self-defence
self-rule
by, to, in, due to, for, or from the self
self-employed
self-inflicted
self-respect
automatic or automatically
self-propelled
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.”
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
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Or if you’re doing well in your career but taking time to shift gears, then you can bet on your future self.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Reworking her pieces felt, she writes, like a “soothing exercise, a way to return to a younger self and tinker with her words and assumptions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Releasing updated figures on Tuesday, Zimbabwe's cabinet said 108,366 of its people had come home as of July 18, a majority of them self repatriating.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Yes, he comes from New Zealand sporting royalty, the son of All Blacks legend Grant Fox and grandson of former Kiwi cricket captain Merv Wallace but he is a self made star.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I couldn’t bear to be around his wormy self after what had happened.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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
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
“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
One was asceticism, a form of self- denial that includes foregoing bodily pleasures and adopting a life of chastity, virginity, and renunciation of normal society.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Any impulse I might have felt toward self- congratulation was extinguished by overwhelming apprehension about the long, dangerous descent that lay ahead.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
In the process of learning from past behaviors, we sometimes villainize our former selves.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Empathy, the nuclear fusion of playwriting, is expanded when we’re allowed to take in more of our patchwork selves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
How do we transform ourselves from callow pseudo-selves to rooted solid selves?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
He just gave them permission to be their true selves.
From Salon ● May 26, 2026
If our past selves got a glimpse of us now, what would they make of us?
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
