sense of self

American  

noun

senses of self plural

1. a person's awareness of being an individual distinct from others.

2. an idea or conception of one's own identity and value.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• senses of self
  plural

Example Sentences

No one should ever be above skepticism no matter how sanctified and righteous they may seem — that’s why the New York Times investigation crashed into the Chicano collective sense of self like a meteor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

We are sucked into our own ideological comfort zones and when we stray outside it's a shock to the system, and often our sense of self.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

"When we hug, the combination of tactile and thermal signals increases our sense of body ownership, so we are more connected to our embodied sense of self," says Dr. Crucianelli.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026

All of this searching, seeking, journeying, finding a sense of self and a sovereign self, all that stuff comes from a little hole, a little bit of lack in her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

I went calmly forward, holding the heavy case but moving with a certain new sense of self, and with it a feeling almost of relief, almost of a sigh.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison