Self — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun pronoun adjective verb /ˈself/

Meaning & Definition of Self

Self (noun)

  1. an individual's typical character or behavior
  2. an individual's temporary behavior or character
  3. a person in prime condition

Self (pronoun)

  1. myself, himself, herself

Self (adjective)

  1. having a single character or quality throughout; specifically, having one color only
  2. of the same kind (as in color, material, or pattern) as something with which it is used
  3. identical, same

Self (verb)

  1. inbreed
  2. to pollinate with pollen from the same flower or plant
  3. to undergo self-pollination

Self (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the set of qualities that makes a person, a group of people, or a thing different from others

    "some believe that it's only in times of great stress that a person's true self is revealed"

    similar: character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, nature, personality, tone
    related: distinctiveness, distinctness, individuality, singularity, uniqueness, attribute, characteristic, earmark, essentiality, feature, flavor, hallmark, mark, point, property, savor, stamp, trait, disposition, grain, sort, temper, temperament, composition, makeup, essence, interior, interiority, soul, spirit, metal, stuff, substance, habit, way

Self (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or consisting of a single color

    "a self-red rose of a shade that hasn't been seen before"

    similar: monochromatic, monochrome, monochromic, self-colored, solid
    related: achromatic, neutral
    opposite: chromatic, colorful, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, rainbow, varicolored, varied, variegated
    near: dappled, marbled, shaded, mottled, parti-color, piebald, pied, pinto, skewbald, banded, barred, brindled, streaked, striated, checkered, dotted, patterned, plaid, striped, flecked, specked, speckled, spotted, bichrome, bicolored, dichromatic, trichromatic, tricolor, two-tone

Related Entry: Self-abnegating (adjective)

Self-abnegating is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-abnegating, not for self.

  1. given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites

    "obviously not for the self-abnegating vacationer, this luxury resort is for those whose budgets and appetites know no limit"

    similar: abstemious, abstentious, abstinent, continent, self-denying, sober, temperate
    related: ascetic, austere, disciplined, self-controlled, self-disciplined, self-governed
    opposite: self-indulgent
    near: gluttonous, greedy, rapacious, voracious, Cyrenaic, hedonistic, self-pleasing, sensual, sybaritic, voluptuous, voluptuary, masturbatory, onanistic

Related Entry: Self-abnegation (noun)

Self-abnegation is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-abnegation, not for self.

  1. voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites

    "even after acquiring great wealth, he continued to practice a kind of puritanical self-abnegation"

    similar: abstinence, continence, self-denial, sobriety, temperance
    related: control, forbearance, restraint, discipline, self-command, self-control, self-discipline, self-mastery, asceticism, austerity
    opposite: self-indulgence
    near: gluttony, greed, rapaciousness, rapacity, voraciousness, voracity, hedonism, sensuality, sybaritism

Related Entry: Self-absorbed (adjective)

Self-absorbed is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-absorbed, not for self.

  1. overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests

    "a self-absorbed man who seems utterly oblivious to the social problems of his own urban neighborhood"

    similar: egocentric, egoistic, egomaniacal, egotistic, narcissistic, self-centered, self-concerned, self-infatuated, self-interested, self-involved, self-loving, self-obsessed, self-oriented, self-preoccupied, self-regarding, self-seeking, self-serving, selfish, solipsistic
    related: inner-directed, complacent, conceited, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-contented, self-directed, self-glorifying, self-important, self-indulgent, self-opinionated, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, vain, vainglorious
    opposite: self-forgetful, self-forgetting, selfless, unselfish
    near: altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, charitable, generous, greathearted, humanitarian, magnanimous, philanthropic, self-denying, self-giving, self-sacrificing, other-directed, diffident, self-doubting, self-flagellating, self-questioning, self-reflective

Related Entry: Self-absorption (noun)

Self-absorption is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-absorption, not for self.

  1. excessive interest in oneself

    "the novel's major characters all suffer from self-absorption, and they are every bit as insufferable as such people are in real life"

    similar: egocentricity, egocentrism, egoism, egomania, egotism, narcissism, navel-gazing, self-centeredness, self-concern, self-interest, self-involvement, self-preoccupation, self-regard, selfishness, selfness
    related: complacence, complacency, conceit, conceitedness, ego, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-conceit, self-esteem, self-importance, self-indulgence, self-love, self-partiality, self-respect, self-satisfaction, self-sufficiency, smugness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity, self-assumption, self-consequence, self-content, self-contentment, self-glorification
    opposite: self-abandonment, self-forgetfulness, selflessness, unselfishness
    near: altruism, generosity, magnanimity, self-sacrifice, detachment, disinterestedness, fairness, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity, self-flagellation, self-annihilation, self-immolation

Related Entry: Self-acting (adjective)

Self-acting is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-acting, not for self.

  1. designed to replace or decrease human labor and especially physical labor

    "self-acting machines that were ushered in with the industrial revolution"

    similar: automated, automatic, laborsaving, robotic, self-operating, self-regulating
    related: mechanical, motorized, nonmanual, computerized, aiding, helping, easing, relieving, time-saving, semiautomatic
    opposite: nonautomated, nonautomatic

Related Entry: Self-admiration (noun)

Self-admiration is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-admiration, not for self.

  1. an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

    "his overweening self-admiration blinded him to constructive criticism of any kind"

    similar: amour propre, bighead, complacence, complacency, conceit, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity
    related: assurance, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-righteousness, arrogance, disdainfulness, haughtiness, imperiousness, lordliness, self-assertion, snobbishness, superciliousness, superiority, hubris, overconfidence, presumption, pretense, pretension, pretentiousness, egoism, self-centeredness, selfishness, self-pride, self-respect
    opposite: humbleness, humility, modesty
    near: diffidence, self-doubt, self-disgust, self-hate, self-loathing, altruism, unselfishness, bashfulness, demureness, shyness, timidity, timidness, passiveness, passivity

Related Entry: Self-asserting (adjective)

Self-asserting is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-asserting, not for self.

  1. having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude

    "a bunch of self-asserting upstarts who thought that they could buy their way into high society"

    similar: arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, superior, toplofty, uppish, uppity
    related: authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, condescending, disdainful, patronizing, impertinent, impudent, saucy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, vain, vainglorious, complacent, conceited, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, hubristic, narcissistic, orgulous, prideful, proud, self-affected, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, self-flattering, self-loving, self-promoting, brash, forward, uninhibited, unreserved, extroverted, immodest
    opposite: humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious
    near: bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, quiet, reserved, retiring

  2. having or showing great faith in oneself or one's abilities

    "it takes a rather self-asserting person to start a business at such a young age"

    similar: assured, confident, secure, self-assured, self-confident
    related: collected, composed, cool, coolheaded, poised, recollected, self-possessed, serene, tranquil, unperturbed, unshaken, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine, upbeat, complacent, conceited, egoistic, egotistic, important, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-affected, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-contented, self-important, self-pleased, self-satisfied, self-promoting, smug, stuck-up, vain, vainglorious, imperturbable, nerveless, unflappable, unself-conscious, unshakable, disciplined, self-collected, self-composed, self-contained, self-controlled, self-poised, self-reliant, self-sufficient
    opposite: diffident, insecure, self-distrustful, self-doubting
    near: meek, timid, unassertive, humble, modest, unassuming, unpretentious, jittery, jumpy, nervous, bashful, demure, mousy, overmodest, quiet, reserved, shy, self-critical, self-reproachful, self-reproving

  3. having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal

    "just the kind of cocky, self-asserting person that you'd expect a sports agent to be"

    similar: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, enterprising, fierce, go-getting, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, self-assertive
    related: argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, discordant, disputatious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, trigger-happy, truculent, warlike, hyperaggressive, overambitious, dynamic, energetic, gung ho, hustling, strenuous, vigorous, emphatic, obtrusive, adventuresome, adventurous, daring, dashing, emboldened, gutsy, venturesome, venturous, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, bumptious, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, confident, determined, forward, impudent, insolent, overconfident, presumptuous, unapologetic, unsubdued, unyielding, bare-knuckle, feisty, scrappy, dominating, domineering, imperious, lordly, magisterial, overbearing
    opposite: ambitionless, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising
    near: easygoing, laid-back, relaxed, acquiescent, amenable, compliant, deferential, docile, resigned, submissive, tractable, yielding, cowering, cringing, groveling, shrinking, bashful, demure, diffident, humble, lowly, meek, mild, modest, mousy, overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, retiring, shy, subdued, timid, unobtrusive, obsequious, servile, slavish, subservient

Related Entry: Self-assertive (adjective)

Self-assertive is a different word from Self. The synonyms below are for self-assertive, not for self.

  1. having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal

    "we need to hire self-assertive salespeople who don't require constant supervision"

    similar: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, enterprising, fierce, go-getting, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, self-asserting
    related: argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, discordant, disputatious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, trigger-happy, truculent, warlike, hyperaggressive, overambitious, dynamic, energetic, gung ho, hustling, strenuous, vigorous, emphatic, obtrusive, adventuresome, adventurous, daring, dashing, emboldened, gutsy, venturesome, venturous, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, bumptious, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, confident, determined, forward, impudent, insolent, overconfident, presumptuous, unapologetic, unsubdued, unyielding, bare-knuckle, feisty, scrappy, dominating, domineering, imperious, lordly, magisterial, overbearing
    opposite: ambitionless, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising
    near: easygoing, laid-back, relaxed, acquiescent, amenable, compliant, deferential, docile, resigned, submissive, tractable, yielding, cowering, cringing, groveling, shrinking, bashful, demure, diffident, humble, lowly, meek, mild, modest, mousy, overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, retiring, shy, subdued, timid, unobtrusive, obsequious, servile, slavish, subservient

  2. having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude

    "after the interview, we chose a less self-assertive and more self-effacing applicant"

    similar: arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, superior, toplofty, uppish, uppity
    related: authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, condescending, disdainful, patronizing, impertinent, impudent, saucy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, vain, vainglorious, complacent, conceited, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, hubristic, narcissistic, orgulous, prideful, proud, self-affected, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, self-flattering, self-loving, self-promoting, brash, forward, uninhibited, unreserved, extroverted, immodest
    opposite: humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious
    near: bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, quiet, reserved, retiring

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Self

The most common words with a similar meaning to Self:

character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, nature, personality, tone, monochromatic, monochrome, monochromic, self-colored, solid

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Self

Words with the opposite meaning of Self:

chromatic, colorful, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, rainbow, varicolored, varied, variegated

Related Words for Self

distinctiveness, distinctness, individuality, singularity, uniqueness, attribute, characteristic, earmark, essentiality, feature, flavor, hallmark, mark, point, property, savor, stamp, trait, disposition, grain, sort, temper, temperament, composition, makeup, essence, interior, interiority, soul, spirit

Near Antonyms of Self

dappled, marbled, shaded, mottled, parti-color, piebald, pied, pinto, skewbald, banded, barred, brindled, streaked, striated, checkered, dotted, patterned, plaid, striped, flecked, specked, speckled, spotted, bichrome, bicolored, dichromatic, trichromatic, tricolor, two-tone

Word Forms of Self

Inflections: selves, selfed, selfing, selfs

Origin & Etymology of Self

Middle English (intensive pronoun), from Old English; akin to Old High German selb, intensive pronoun, and probably to Latin suus one's own suicide

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Self

Words & Phrases Containing Self

self-, self-abandoned, self-abandonment

Frequently Asked Questions about Self

What does "Self" mean?

"Self" means an individual's typical character or behavior. As an a noun, a pronoun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: an individual's typical character or behavior. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Self"?

Other words for "Self" include character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, nature and personality. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Self" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Self"?

There are 51 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Self". Common alternatives include character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, nature, personality, tone and monochromatic.

What is the opposite of "Self"?

Antonyms of "Self" include chromatic, colorful, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome and rainbow. Near antonyms include dappled, marbled, shaded and mottled.

How do you use "Self" in a sentence?

Examples of "Self" in a sentence: "some believe that it's only in times of great stress that a person's true self is revealed"; "a self-red rose of a shade that hasn't been seen before".

Is "Self" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Self" can be used as a noun, a pronoun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Self" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Self" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Self"?

"Self" is pronounced /ˈself/.