English Reference

Word

oneself

Phoneticsone·self, stress on the second syllable

US/ˌwənˈsɛɫf/

UK/wɒnsˈɛlf/

Definition

pron. a formal way to say 'yourself' or 'himself' when talking about any person. You use it to avoid naming a specific gender or person.

pron. a reflexive pronoun used for indefinite or generic subjects, replacing gender-specific forms like 'himself' or 'herself'.

Examples

“The philosopher argued that true self-knowledge requires one to examine oneself without bias or external influence.”

Examples

complex

“The philosopher argued that true self-knowledge requires one to examine oneself without bias or external influence.”

Usage

Used with indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'someone', or 'one'.

Etymology

A contracted form of one's self (Mid-16th century). Equivalent to one + -self.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

NOUN

NUMERAL

PRONOUN

oneself(B1)

Related words

heherherselfhimhimselfhisitselfmeMiNEmymyselfour

Idioms

01. adorn oneself with borrowed plumes

02. apply oneself

03. be oneself

04. bear oneself

05. box oneself into a corner

06. buy a dog and bark oneself

07. carry oneself

08. come to oneself

09. cop oneself on

10. cry oneself to sleep

Show all 58

11. dig a hole for oneself

12. dig oneself in a hole

13. do well for oneself

14. expose oneself

15. find oneself

16. forget oneself

17. full of oneself

18. get ahead of oneself

19. get oneself together

20. get over oneself

21. give a good account of oneself

22. give oneself airs

23. handle oneself

24. have a word with oneself

25. knock oneself out

26. let oneself go

27. make a name for oneself

28. make a pig of oneself

29. make a show of oneself

30. make a spectacle of oneself

31. make an exhibition of oneself

32. make oneself at home

33. make oneself clear

34. make something of oneself

35. paint oneself into a corner

36. pleased with oneself

37. pleasure oneself

38. poop oneself

39. pull oneself together

40. pull oneself up by one's bootstraps

41. pull the ladder up after oneself

42. pull the ladder up behind oneself

43. put daylight between oneself and someone

44. put oneself across

45. read oneself in

46. redeem oneself

47. see for oneself

48. shoot oneself in the foot

49. sort oneself out

50. speak for oneself

51. spread oneself thin

52. take it upon oneself

53. talk to oneself

54. tie oneself in knots

55. top oneself

56. touch oneself

57. wash oneself of

58. write oneself into a corner

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
Frequency
Frequent
Level
B1 · Intermediate
Updated

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