1 ADJ [ADJ n] A self-drive car is one which you hire and drive yourself. [BRIT ] □ Any holiday in the U.S.A. and Canada is enhanced by renting a self-drive car. in AM, use rental car 2 ADJ [ADJ n] A self-drive holiday is one where you drive yourself to the place where you are staying, rather than being taken there by plane or coach. [BRIT ] □ …the growth in popularity of self-drive camping holidays.
se lf-e ducated ADJ People who are self-educated have acquired knowledge or a skill by themselves, rather than being taught it by someone else such as a teacher at school. □ …a self-educated man from a working-class background.
se lf-effa cement N‑UNCOUNT Someone's self-effacement is their unwillingness to talk about themselves or draw attention to themselves. □ He was modest to the point of self-effacement.
se lf-effa cing ADJ Someone who is self-effacing does not like talking about themselves or drawing attention to themselves. □ As women we tend to be self-effacing and make light of what we have achieved.
se lf-emplo yed ADJ If you are self-employed , you organize your own work and taxes and are paid by people for a service you provide, rather than being paid a regular salary by a person or a firm. [BUSINESS ] □ There are no paid holidays or sick leave if you are self-employed. □ …a self-employed builder. ● N‑PLURAL The self-employed are people who are self-employed. □ We want more support for the self-employed.
se lf-estee m N‑UNCOUNT Your self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. For example, if you have low self-esteem , you do not like yourself, you do not think that you are a valuable person, and therefore you do not behave confidently. □ Poor self-esteem is at the centre of many of the difficulties we experience.
se lf-e vident ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A fact or situation that is self-evident is so obvious that there is no need for proof or explanation. □ It is self-evident that we will never have enough resources to meet the demand. ● self-evidently ADV [ADV adj] □ The task was self-evidently impossible.
se lf-examina tion
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Self-examination is thought that you give to your own character and actions, for example in order to judge whether you have been behaving in a way that is acceptable to your own set of values. □ The events in Los Angeles have sparked a new national self-examination.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-examination is the act of examining your own body to check whether or not you have any signs of a particular disease or illness. □ Breast self-examination is invaluable for detecting cancer in its very early stages.
se lf-expla natory ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Something that is self-explanatory is clear and easy to understand without needing any extra information or explanation. □ I hope the graphs on the following pages are self-explanatory.
se lf-expre ssion N‑UNCOUNT Self-expression is the expression of your personality, feelings, or opinions, for example through an artistic activity such as drawing or dancing. □ Clothes are a fundamental form of self-expression.
se lf-fulfi lling ADJ If you describe a statement or belief about the future as self-fulfilling , you mean that what is said or believed comes true because people expect it to come true. □ Fear of failure can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
se lf-go verning ADJ A self-governing region or organization is governed or run by its own people rather than by the people of another region or organization. □ …a self-governing province.
se lf-go vernment N‑UNCOUNT Self-government is government of a country or region by its own people rather than by others.
self-ha rm (self-harms , self-harming , self-harmed ) VERB If you self-harm , you deliberately hurt yourself, for example by cutting yourself, because of mental illness. □ [V ] Her parents discovered that she had been self-harming.
se lf-he lp
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Self-help consists of people providing support and help for each other in an informal way, rather than relying on the government, authorities, or other official organizations. □ She set up a self-help group for parents with over-weight children.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-help consists of doing things yourself to try and solve your own problems without depending on other people. □ …a society that encourages competitiveness and self-help among the very young. □ …a self-help book.
self|ie /se lfiː/ (selfies ) N‑COUNT A selfie is a photograph that you take of yourself, especially using a mobile phone. [INFORMAL ] □ He took a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal.
se lf|ie stick (selfie sticks ) N‑COUNT A selfie stick is a long device with a holder for your phone at one end and a button at the other that you can press to take a photograph of yourself. [INFORMAL ] □ The square is full of tourists with selfie sticks.
se lf-i mage (self-images ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] Your self-image is the set of ideas you have about your own qualities and abilities. □ …children who have a positive self-image.
se lf-impo rtant ADJ If you say that someone is self-important , you disapprove of them because they behave as if they are more important than they really are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was self-important, vain and ignorant. ● self-importance N‑UNCOUNT □ …his bad manners and self-importance.
se lf-impo sed ADJ [usu ADJ n] A self-imposed restriction, task, or situation is one that you have deliberately created or accepted for yourself. □ He returned home in the summer of 1974 after eleven years of self-imposed exile.
se lf-indu lgence (self-indulgences ) N‑VAR Self-indulgence is the act of allowing yourself to have or do the things that you enjoy very much. □ Going to the movies in the afternoon is one of my big self-indulgences.
se lf-indu lgent ADJ If you say that someone is self-indulgent , you mean that they allow themselves to have or do the things that they enjoy very much. □ To buy flowers for myself seems wildly self-indulgent.