Word Pronoun
oneself
pron.
B1 Intermediate US /ˌwənˈsɛɫf/ UK /wɒnsˈɛlf/ one·self
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.”
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.
This entry
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated