se lf-co nfident ADJ Someone who is self-confident behaves confidently because they feel sure of their abilities or value. □ She'd blossomed into a self-confident young woman.
se lf-congratula tion N‑UNCOUNT If someone keeps emphasizing how well they have done or how good they are, you can refer to their behaviour as self-congratulation . [DISAPPROVAL ] □ This is not a matter for self-congratulation.
se lf-congratula tory ADJ If you describe someone or their behaviour as self-congratulatory , you mean that they keep emphasizing how well they have done or how good they are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Officials were self-congratulatory about how well the day had gone.
se lf-co nscious
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is self-conscious is easily embarrassed and nervous because they feel that everyone is looking at them and judging them. □ I felt a bit self-conscious in my swimming costume. □ [+ about ] Bess was self-conscious about being shorter than her two friends. ● self-consciously ADV [ADV with v] □ She was fiddling self-consciously with her wedding ring. ● self-consciousness N‑UNCOUNT □ …her painful self-consciousness.
2 ADJ If you describe someone or something as self-conscious , you mean that they are strongly aware of who or what they are. [FORMAL ] □ Putting the work together is a very self-conscious process. ● self-consciously ADV [ADV adj] □ The world which the book inhabits seems too self-consciously literary, too introverted.
se lf-contai ned
1 ADJ You can describe someone or something as self-contained when they are complete and separate and do not need help or resources from outside. □ He seems completely self-contained and he doesn't miss you when you're not there. □ …self-contained economic blocs.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Self-contained accommodation such as a flat has all its own facilities, so that a person living there does not have to share rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom with other people.
se lf-contradi ctory ADJ If you say or write something that is self-contradictory , you make two statements which cannot both be true. □ He is notorious for making unexpected, often self-contradictory, comments.
se lf-contro l N‑UNCOUNT Self-control is the ability to not show your feelings or not do the things that your feelings make you want to do. □ I began to wish I'd shown more self-control.
se lf-contro lled ADJ Someone who is self-controlled is able to not show their feelings or not do the things that their feelings make them want to do. □ My father, who had always been very self-controlled, became bad-tempered.
se lf-dece ption N‑UNCOUNT Self-deception involves allowing yourself to believe something about yourself that is not true, because the truth is more unpleasant. □ Human beings have an infinite capacity for self-deception.
se lf-decla red ADJ [ADJ n] Self-declared means the same as self-proclaimed . □ …the self-declared interim president. □ He is a self-declared populist.
se lf-defea ting ADJ A plan or action that is self-defeating is likely to cause problems or difficulties instead of producing useful results. □ Dishonesty is ultimately self-defeating.
se lf-defe nce in AM, use self-defense 1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft in/of N ] Self-defence is the use of force to protect yourself against someone who is attacking you. □ He acted in self-defence when a gang of burglars stormed his home with a machete. □ …courses in karate or some other means of self-defence.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-defence is the action of protecting yourself against something bad. □ Jokes can be a form of self-defence.
se lf-delu sion N‑UNCOUNT Self-delusion is the state of having a false idea about yourself or the situation you are in. □ …the grandiose self-delusion of the addict.
se lf-deni al N‑UNCOUNT Self-denial is the habit of refusing to do or have things that you would like, either because you cannot afford them, or because you believe it is morally good for you not to do them or have them. □ Should motherhood necessarily mean sacrifice and self-denial?
se lf-deny ing ADJ Someone who is self-denying refuses to do or have things that they would like, either because they cannot afford them, or because they believe it is morally good for them not to do them or have them. □ They believed that good parents should be self-sacrificing and self-denying.
se lf-de precating ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone's behaviour as self-deprecating , you mean that they criticize themselves or represent themselves as foolish in a light-hearted way. □ Sharon tells the story of that night with self-deprecating humour.
se lf-destru ct (self-destructs , self-destructing , self-destructed ) VERB If someone self-destructs , they do something that seriously damages their chances of success. □ [V ] They're going to be famous, but unless something happens, they're going to self-destruct.
se lf-destru ctive ADJ Self-destructive behaviour is harmful to the person who behaves in that way. □ He had a reckless, self-destructive streak.
se lf-determina tion N‑UNCOUNT Self-determination is the right of a country to be independent, instead of being controlled by a foreign country, and to choose its own form of government.
se lf-di scipline N‑UNCOUNT Self-discipline is the ability to control yourself and to make yourself work hard or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell you what to do. □ Exercising at home alone requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline.
se lf-di sciplined ADJ Someone who is self-disciplined has the ability to control themselves and to make themselves work hard or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell them what to do. □ Most religions teach you to be truthful and self-disciplined.
se lf-dou bt N‑UNCOUNT Self-doubt is a lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities.
se lf-drive