self

¹ American  

[self] / sɛlf /

noun

plural

selves

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 (nonself ).

4. Obsolete. same.

pronoun

plural

selves

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.”

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

Example Sentences

It is symbolic of your enterprising younger self, and all of those fancy cars and five-star vacations that you passed up on, perhaps using that money as a down payment on your next property instead.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

“I had to devote my whole self to it. It was so all-encompassing that I could think of nothing else.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Borgli digs deep into Emma’s psyche, pairing explanations from current-day Emma with glimpses of her younger self, wonderfully realized by Jordyn Curet.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

The song that illuminated the path back home was Euphoria, an absolute earthquake of self belief, where Ridings screams with "the rage in my heart as red as my hair".

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

But as soon as we were out the door, she was her old self again, chatting nonstop about a kid in her class who lost a tooth and got ten dollars from the Tooth Fairy.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

Related Words

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