self-starter

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Someone who gets on with work or projects without being told what to do or needing anyone to push them.

   Grammar: Usually describes a person and often follows an or be: she is a real self-starter.

   Patterns

   • a self-starter who does something

   We are hiring a self-starter who can manage the project without daily guidance.

   As a self-starter, Dana taught herself the software over a weekend.

   Because he is a self-starter, his manager rarely has to check on him.

2. 2nouncountabletechnicalold-fashioned

   An electric motor that turns an engine over to get it running, especially in a car.

   Grammar: An older technical term; today people usually say starter or starter motor.

   Early cars needed a hand crank until the self-starter was introduced.

   The mechanic said the self-starter was worn and needed replacing.

   The invention of the electric self-starter made driving easier for everyone.

Word forms

Common combinations

a motivated self-starter

The role suits a motivated self-starter who enjoys solving problems alone.

be a self-starter

You need to be a self-starter to work remotely.

a proven self-starter

Her résumé shows she is a proven self-starter who launched two programs.

hire a self-starter

The startup wanted to hire a self-starter rather than someone needing training.

an independent self-starter

They praised him as an independent self-starter who never waited for orders.

Synonyms and how they differ

go-getter

A go-getter is energetic and ambitious about success, while a self-starter is mainly valued for working without supervision.

initiative

Initiative is the quality itself, as in she shows initiative, whereas a self-starter is the person who has it.

independent worker

This phrase stresses working alone, while self-starter stresses beginning work unprompted.

Opposites

Word family

self-starting adjective

able to begin without outside help

start verb

to begin doing something

starter noun

something or someone that begins, such as a starter motor

self-motivated adjective

driven by your own desire to act

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “self-starter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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