Meaning & use
self-actualized
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparabletechnical
Having used your talents and abilities fully and become the person you are capable of being.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a self-actualized person, or she feels self-actualized.
Patterns
- be self-actualized
- a self-actualized person
Maslow believed that few people ever become fully self-actualized.
She felt self-actualized after years of painting and teaching.
A self-actualized person is usually calm about other people's opinions.
verbintransitiverare
The past tense and past participle of self-actualize: to reach the stage of using your abilities fully.
Grammar: No object: he finally self-actualized in his forties.
Patterns
- self-actualized through something
He self-actualized through his work as a teacher.
Many people have self-actualized later in life through volunteering.
She self-actualized once her basic needs were secure.
Word forms
| base verb | self-actualize |
|---|---|
| third person singular | self-actualizes |
| -ing form | self-actualizing |
Common combinations
- become self-actualized
- It takes years to become self-actualized, if it happens at all.
- a self-actualized individual
- A self-actualized individual accepts both strengths and flaws.
- feel self-actualized
- I feel self-actualized when I help others learn.
- fully self-actualized
- Few leaders are fully self-actualized.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fulfilled
- Fulfilled is a warm everyday word for being satisfied with life, while self-actualized names a specific psychological stage.
- realized
- Realized can describe a goal being achieved, but self-actualized applies to a person who has developed all their potential.
- content
- Content simply means at peace with what you have, which is milder than self-actualized.
Opposites
Word family
- self-actualization noun
- the process of fulfilling your potential
- self-actualize verb
- to fulfill your potential
- actualize verb
- to make something real
- actual adjective
- real, existing in fact
Commonly confused: self-actualized or self-aware? self-actualized or self-absorbed?
self-actualized vs self-aware
Self-aware means knowing your own character and feelings, which is only one step toward being self-actualized.
self-actualized vs self-absorbed
Self-absorbed is a criticism of someone who thinks only about themselves, and it is not the same as growth.
Practice
According to Maslow, a person who is self-actualized is someone who ____.
Choose one answer.
Self-actualized means someone has used their potential fully. Wealth, a problem-free life and conformity are not part of the idea.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-actualized”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.