Meaning & use
self
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person's own nature or identity, which makes them different from everyone else.
Grammar: Plural is selves: our true selves.
Patterns
- your true self
- your former self
After a long holiday she felt like her old self again.
He rarely shows his true self in public.
Therapy helped her understand her inner self.
noununcountableformal
A person's own interests or welfare, especially when put before others'.
Grammar: Usually in the phrase for self or in compounds.
Patterns
- thought of self
He gave up thought of self to care for his sick mother.
The novel is about the conflict between duty and self.
nounsingularspecialist
In philosophy and psychology, the conscious being that experiences thoughts and feelings.
Grammar: Used with the: the self.
Patterns
- the sense of self
Philosophers argue about whether the self is a single thing.
Children develop a sense of self by about two years old.
Word forms
| plural | selves |
|---|
Common combinations
- true self
- Be your true self at the interview.
- sense of self
- Moving schools shook his sense of self.
- old self
- After a rest I felt my old self.
- better self
- She aims to become her better self.
- former self
- He is a shadow of his former self.
- inner self
- Meditation helps you listen to your inner self.
Synonyms and how they differ
- identity
- Identity stresses what makes you recognisable, while self stresses your inner nature.
- ego
- Ego suggests your sense of importance, while self is neutral.
- character
- Character focuses on qualities and morals, while self is the whole person.
- personality
- Personality describes outward traits, while self includes deeper identity.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: self or shelf?
self vs shelf
Shelf is a flat board for holding things; its plural, shelves, is easily confused with selves, the plural of self.
Practice
After a good night's sleep, she felt like her old ____ again.
Choose one answer.
Her old self is singular, so self is correct. Selves would need a plural subject and selfs is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.