Meaning & use
self-reflected
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformal
Having thought carefully about your own character, actions, and motives.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb such as be, seem, or become: She seems self-reflected. It is not used before a noun in everyday English.
Patterns
- be self-reflected
- seem self-reflected
- become self-reflected
After a year of therapy, he became more self-reflected and understood why he reacted that way.
The essay is unusually self-reflected for a first-year student; she questions her own assumptions throughout.
A self-reflected leader admits mistakes instead of blaming the team.
Common combinations
- highly self-reflected
- Her diary is highly self-reflected, full of questions about her own behavior.
- become more self-reflected
- Travel can make you become more self-reflected about your values.
- a self-reflected person
- A self-reflected person notices when their mood is affecting their judgment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- introspective
- Introspective is more common and focuses on looking inward at your thoughts and feelings; self-reflected often suggests you have already done that and gained understanding.
- self-aware
- Self-aware means you notice your own qualities or how others see you; self-reflected emphasizes careful thought about your past actions and motives.
Opposites
Word family
- self-reflection noun
- The act of thinking carefully about your own character and actions.
- self-reflecting adjective
- Thinking about yourself; describes the ongoing activity rather than the result.
- reflect verb
- To think carefully about something, or to show an image.
Commonly confused: self-reflected or self-reflecting?
self-reflected vs self-reflecting
Self-reflected describes a person who has done the thinking; self-reflecting describes the process of thinking right now.
Practice
After months of keeping a journal, Maya felt more ______ about why she avoided difficult conversations.
Choose one answer.
Self-reflected fits because Maya has already thought about her behavior and gained understanding. 'Self-reflecting' describes the ongoing activity, not the result, and 'reflective' is more general, often meaning quiet and thoughtful.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-reflected”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.