self
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.your basic personality or the qualities that make you who you are.
n.the essential qualities of an individual's character, personality, or disposition that distinguish them from others.
Simple“After a long holiday, she finally felt like her old self again.”
In context“The therapist encouraged him to explore his inner self to better understand the motivations behind his recurring anxieties.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.thinking only about what is good for you.
n.the pursuit of personal advantage or self-interest, often to the exclusion of others.
Simple“He was a man driven entirely by self and greed.”
In context“The philosopher argued that every human action is ultimately rooted in a fundamental concern for the self.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.cells or tissues that belong to your own body rather than a foreign source.
n.any molecule, cell, or tissue of an organism's own, distinguished by the immune system from foreign or 'nonself' material.
Simple“The immune system must be able to distinguish between self and foreign invaders.”
In context“Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune response fails to recognise self and begins attacking its own healthy tissues.”
SynonymsautologousAntonymsnonself - 04 C1 Advanced
pron.a funny way of saying 'me' or 'myself'.
pron.used as a reflexive pronoun referring to the speaker; typically restricted to humorous or mock-formal contexts.
Simple“I shall treat my noble self to a large piece of cake.”
In context“The invitation was addressed to 'your good self', which gave the formal event a slightly old-fashioned and playful tone.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to fertilize a plant using its own pollen.
v.to fertilize a flower or plant using pollen from the same individual or strain.
Simple“Some garden peas are designed to self before the flower even opens.”
In context“The researcher attempted to self the hybrid plants to see if the desired traits would remain stable in the next generation.”
Synonymsself pollinateinbreedAntonymscross pollinate - 06 C1 Advanced
adj.having only one solid colour without any patterns or other shades.
adj.having a single, uniform nature or character throughout, particularly regarding colour or composition.
Simple“She preferred the self-coloured fabric because it looked more elegant.”
In context“The breeder aimed to produce a self-coloured tulip, free from the streaks and variations common in that particular variety.”
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t like it if I read it again, and I don’t want to take that joy away from my 16-year-old self.”
“It was the community my teenage self never would have imagined he'd see.”
From Middle English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.