selfnoun
uk/self/us/self/self noun (PERSONALITY)
C1 [ C or U ] plural selves the set of someone's characteristics, such as personality and ability, that are not physical and make that person different from other people:
The hero of the movie finally finds his true self (= discovers what his true personality and feelings are).
When I saw them this afternoon they were more like their old/normal selves (= as they were in the past).
a sense of self
More examples
- She's not her customary cheerful self today.
- The Minister was her usual evasive self, skilfully dodging reporters' questions about her possible resignation.
- He seemed ill at ease and not his usual self.
- It was a long time after the accident before he seemed like his former self.
- He wasn't his usual ebullient self.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Mind and personality
- (a) penny for your thoughts idiom
- -minded
- alter ego
- beauty
- beauty is only skin deep idiom
- better nature
- character
- cognitive
- ego
- inwardly
- Jungian
- mental
- mental age
- mentality
- penny
- quality
- quirk
- rational
- spirit
- unconscious
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self noun (PERSONAL ADVANTAGE)
[ U ] formal disapproving interest only in your own advantage:
Her reply was typical of her constant regard for self.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Selfishness
- egocentric
- egoism
- egoistic
- egotism
- egotistic
- inconsiderate
- killer instinct
- law
- look
- look out for number one idiom
- prima donna
- self-absorbed
- self-interest
- self-seeking
- self-serving
- selfish
- selves
- vanity
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Idiom(s)
unto thine own self be true