self
self — noun
1. The combination of a person's character, thoughts, and emotions that makes them
The combination of a person's character, thoughts, and emotions that makes them a unique individual, separate from others.
After the long trip, Jin felt he had got back to his true self again.
true self — one's real personality
Meera's confident self emerged only after she rebuilt her strength through months of therapy.
confident self / true self — a particular version of one's personality
Leo's calm self completely disappeared when he saw the damage to his car.
Rachid's public self was the life of every party, but his private self enjoyed quiet evenings alone.
Dylan's older self would probably give very different advice about that problem.
- ego
More psychological or Freudian; often implies the conscious sense of self, especially in academic contexts
- identity
Broader; covers social, cultural, and personal dimensions of who someone is
- character
Focuses on moral qualities and typical behaviour rather than the whole inner being
- persona
The image or role a person presents to others, possibly different from their true self
文法句型
someone's + self
the + adjective + self
one's + adjective + self
用法筆記
Often used with an adjective before 'self' to describe a particular aspect or version of a person (e.g. 'my old self', 'her usual self', 'his better self'). The uncountable form refers to the whole of a person's being; the countable form focuses on a specific version or aspect.
常見錯誤
2. A focus on your own benefit, gain, or pleasure, with little or no concern for ot
A focus on your own benefit, gain, or pleasure, with little or no concern for other people.
Maja made the choice out of pure self, thinking only about what she would gain.
out of self — acting from personal advantage
The company's focus on self rather than service led to many customer complaints.
Lien knew her brother's choice was driven by self, not concern for the family.
Sana refused the promotion because accepting it would mean acting only out of self.
- self-interest
More neutral and specific; can describe rational pursuit of one's own goals without the negative moral tone
- selfishness
Stronger negative connotation; implies a personality flaw rather than a momentary motivation
- egoism
Philosophical or technical term for the ethical stance that one's own interest is the proper goal
- altruism
Selfless concern for the well-being of others
文法句型
out of self
motivated by self
用法筆記
Almost always used in fixed phrases such as 'out of self', 'motivated by self', or 'driven by self'. Rarely used with an article. This sense often carries a negative moral judgement — it implies selfishness rather than healthy self-interest.
常見錯誤
self — prefix
1. Added to nouns, adjectives, or past participles to show that something is done b
Added to nouns, adjectives, or past participles to show that something is done by, to, or for the person or thing in question.
Nkechi took a self-defence workshop after several break-ins in her neighbourhood.
self-defence — protecting oneself
Rafael's self-confidence grew each time he finished a difficult coding project.
The workshop taught Chidi simple self-care routines for managing daily stress.
Tendai designed a self-cleaning filter for the village's main water tank.
Andrés bought a self-help book to improve his study habits and time management.
文法句型
self- + noun
self- + adjective
self- + past participle
用法筆記
Produces very common compound words in English. The second element can be a noun (self-confidence), an adjective (self-aware), or a past participle (self-taught). These compounds are typically written with a hyphen, though some common ones have lost the hyphen over time (selfish, selfless are now separate words).
常見錯誤
self — pronoun
1. A formal reflexive pronoun meaning 'myself', 'yourself', 'himself', etc., used i
A formal reflexive pronoun meaning 'myself', 'yourself', 'himself', etc., used instead of the standard person-specific forms.
In the Gothic novel, the study door swung open of its own self as the clock struck midnight.
of its own self — literary/archaic reflexive construction
The poet wrote nightly letters to his own self, filling each page with memories of the war.
In the soliloquy, the prince speaks to his own self about the burden of leadership.
The curator hung the paintings by her own self, refusing any help from the staff.
用法筆記
This pronoun usage is rare in modern everyday English. It appears in formal, literary, or legal contexts. In standard English, person-specific reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) are used instead.
self — adjective
1. Being the original or natural form, without any treatment, dye, or alteration.
Being the original or natural form, without any treatment, dye, or alteration.
The cloth was woven from self wool, keeping the natural cream colour of the sheep's fleece.
self wool — natural, undyed fabric
The florist ordered self tulips because their single, solid colour suited the wedding design.
self tulips — flowers of a single natural colour
The botanical garden listed self irises as a rare category, each bloom showing a single pure shade.
A self finish on the walnut sideboard kept the wood grain visible without darkening the surface.
用法筆記
Mostly found in technical or specialist contexts. In textiles, 'self fabric' means fabric in its natural colour without dye. In botany, 'self' describes flowers of a single natural colour. Learners rarely need this sense.
self — verb
1. To fertilise itself using its own pollen, without needing pollen from another pl
To fertilise itself using its own pollen, without needing pollen from another plant.
Certain pea varieties can self in cool weather, setting pods without bees for pollination.
self — (of a plant) fertilise itself using its own pollen
The seed bank let the oldest rice plants self to preserve the rare heirloom variety.
Soybean plants in the sealed greenhouse self early in the morning before the pollen dries out.
The botanists noted that the wild strawberry plants could self when pollinators were scarce that season.
- self-pollinate
The full, more common form; 'self' as a verb is an abbreviation
- self-fertilise
Equally technical; used interchangeably in biology
- cross-pollinate
Fertilisation using pollen from a different plant
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in botany and agriculture. The noun form 'selfing' is more common than the verb. Most English speakers use phrases like 'self-pollinate' or 'self-fertilise' instead of the bare verb 'self'.
self — combining form
1. A highly productive element that forms established compounds (nouns, adjectives,
A highly productive element that forms established compounds (nouns, adjectives, participles) expressing a relationship directed back to the subject — for example, self-awareness, self-taught, and self-esteem are standard vocabulary items that have become fixed in the language.
Romi became more self-aware after keeping a daily journal for three months.
self-aware — conscious of one's own character
The school's self-government programme gave students real power over classroom rules.
Esteban is a self-taught guitarist who learned everything from online videos.
Aoi's low self-esteem made it hard for her to speak up in meetings.
After the workshop on self-advocacy, Emil felt ready to request the workplace changes he needed.
文法句型
self- + adjective
self- + noun
self- + past participle
用法筆記
This combining form overlaps with the prefix entry but is broader in scope. It attaches to a wider range of roots and produces both adjectives (self-aware, self-taught) and nouns (self-awareness, self-esteem, self-advocacy). Unlike the bare prefix 'self-', the combining form can create words where the second element is not separately meaningful ('selfish', 'selfless' are now independent words).