Word for self called

All you need to know about using the prefix SELF in compound words is here. I collected these words from different sources and listed them here with definitions and natural example sentences. Quickly increase your English vocabulary.

The prefix self- means to, of, or by one’s self.

Self-taught means learning by one’s self rather than being taught by someone else.
A self-portarit means a painting or picture that one made of themselves.

I organized these words into grammar categories. Adjective – Noun – Verb/Adverb. This post can help you master this prefix. Learn some Idioms with self too, keep reading.

Self – Noun

self noun [countable, usually singular] the type of person you are, especially the way you normally behave, look or feel

“I’m happy to see you looking like your old self again.”

self noun OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com 

Self – Prefix (Combining Form)

self- combining form 

of, to or by yourself or itself
“My ex- was very attractive but also self-centered. That’s why we broke up.”

self combining form OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com 

Adjectives with SELF-

selfish caring only about yourself rather than about other people

• Sharing with others is important. No one likes a selfish person.

Learn more about the suffix -ISH at my blog post here:
Your complete guide to the Suffix -ISH (Quiz/worksheet)

selfless thinking more about the needs, happiness, etc. of other people than about your own

• Politicians should live a life of selfless service to the people who voted for them. 

Learn more about the suffix -LESS at my blog post here:
79 Common Adjectives with the Suffix -less (PDF download)

self-absorbed only thinking about or interested in yourself

• Our local politicians don’t care enough about the community, they’re too self-absorbed to care about anyone else. 

self-addressed ​if an envelope is self-addressed, somebody has written their own address on it

• Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope in your letter and we will send you back some more information. (This is not used much anymore in the age of digital communication.)

self-adhesive covered on one side with a sticky substance so that it can be stuck to something without the use of glue, etc.

• My office is too cheap to buy self-adhesive envelopes. I hate licking envelopes to seal them, it tastes terrible. 

self-aware having or showing knowledge and understanding of your own character

• Melissa is very mature and self-aware for her age. 

self-centered tending to think only about yourself and not thinking about the needs or feelings of other people

• My ex- was very attractive but also self-centered. That’s why we broke up. 

self-confident ​having confidence in yourself and your abilities

• She was a capable, self-confident leader and people really liked her. 

self-conscious nervous or embarrassed about your appearance or what other people think of you

• The t-shirt is a little bit too tight for me. I’m a bit self-conscious about my weight right now. 

self-contained not needing or depending on other people

• His dream was to buy some farmland out of the country and live a completely self-contained life. 

SCUBA is an acronym (a word formed from the first letters of the words that make up the name of something) It stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. 

self-driving (of a vehicle) that has the technology to drive itself without a person in control

• I’m excited by the idea of self-driving cars, but I’m also a little bit nervous. 

self-employed working for yourself and not employed by a company, etc.

• The downside of being self-employed is the stress, the upside is that I don’t have a boss looking over my shoulder. 

self-explanatory ​easy to understand and not needing any more explanation

• We need to hire more staff in the warehouse. I think the reasons are self-explanatory. 

self-fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophecy is one that becomes true because people expect it to be true and behave in a way that will make it happen

• If you expect the class to be boring, you won’t enjoy it or give it your full attention. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, you need to go into class feeling excited about what you can learn. 

self-governing (of a country or an organization) governed or controlled by its own people or members, not by others

• The country became independent in 1937 and they were self-governing just two years later. 

self-help designed to help people solve their problems for themselves, rather than depending on other people for help

• I read many self-help books after University. 

self-made having become rich and successful through your own hard work rather than having had money given to you

• James was a self-made millionaire, he was very proud of the fact that he worked hard his whole life without any help. 

self-promotion the activity of making people notice you and your abilities, especially in a way that annoys other people

• Real estate agents often put their names and pictures on t-shirts, hats, and even coffee mugs. They are the kings of self-promotion.

self-service a self-service shop, restaurant, etc. is one in which customers serve themselves and then pay for the goods

• I used to go to full-service gas stations until the price of gas became too high. Now I only go to self-service stations, it’s cheaper.

self-sufficient able to do or produce everything that you need without the help of other people

• The small community’s goal was to become energy self-sufficient in the next 3 years. 

self-taught – having learned something by reading books, etc., rather than by somebody teaching you

• Michael is a good guitar player. I was surprised to learn that he’s completely self-taught. 

Nouns with SELF-

selfie a photo of yourself that you take, typically with a smartphone or webcam

• I’m taking a trip to Hollywood next month, and I want to take a selfie with someone famous during my trip. 

selfishness ​the fact of caring only about yourself rather than about other people

• I was shocked by the amount of selfishness I saw at the meeting. It seems like no one cared about anyone but themselves. 

Learn more about the suffix -NESS at my blog post here:
The suffix ~NESS – Increase Your Vocabulary Fast (Free PDF)

selflessness the quality of thinking more about the needs, happiness, etc. of other people than about your own

• Tina’s selflessness should be an example to us all. 

self-build the building of homes by their owners; a home that is built in this way

• My dad, two of his brothers. and a friend from work put together a self-build cottage during the summer. It looks amazing and I can’t wait to use it with my family. 

self-care the act of caring for yourself, for example by eating and sleeping well, taking exercise and getting help so that you do not become ill

• Medical staff have difficult and stressful jobs sometimes. Taking time for self-care is very important for people working in hospitals and trauma Centers. 

self-control the ability to remain calm and not show your emotions even though you are feeling angry, excited, etc.

• Adam is a good player but he gets excited easily and loses Focus. If he showed a little more self-control he could be a real leader on this team. 

self-denial ​the act of not having or doing the things you like, either because you do not have enough money, or for moral or religious reasons

• Many people don’t drink alcohol during sober October. This is a positive form of self-denial that can improve your health. 

self-doubt the feeling that you are not good enough

• Garrett was always troubled by worry and thoughts of self-doubt. 

self-esteem a feeling of being happy with your own character and abilities

• Participating in sports and team competitions can help children’s self-esteem when they are young. 

self-expression the expression of your thoughts or feelings, especially through activities such as writing, painting, dancing, etc.

• Fashion, music, and dance are all forms of self-expression. 

self-fulfillment the feeling of being happy and satisfied that you have everything you want or need

• If you are happy with the simple things in life then self-fulfillment is incredibly easy to achieve. 

self-harm ​the practice of deliberately injuring yourself, for example by cutting yourself, as a way to express or try to deal with feeling very unhappy or worried

• Self-harm is a sign of deeper issues that need to be carefully explored. 

self-image the opinion or idea you have of yourself, especially of your appearance or abilities

• Exercise improves your health and fitness levels, plus it can be really good for your self-image.

self-pity a feeling of sadness for yourself, especially because of something unpleasant or unfair that has happened to you

• You need to cut all the self-pity and start working on improving your life. 

self-portrait a painting, etc. that you do of yourself

• The artist’s most famous painting is a self-portrait from when he was 43 years old. 

self-respect a feeling of being proud of yourself and that what you do, say, etc. is right and good

• Aaron was a total idiot at the party last night. Anyone who acts like that must not have any self-respect.

self-rule the governing of a country or an area by its own people

• The country achieved independence and self-rule after the occupying forces were pushed out. 

Verbs and Adverbs with SELF-

selfishly adverb in a way that shows that you care only about yourself rather than about other people

• I watched as Ian selfishly took 4 slices of pizza before some of us even had a chance to get one. 

selflessly adverb in a way that shows that you are thinking more about the needs, happiness, etc. of other people than about your own

• Travis worked selfishly to get the homeless shelter built on schedule. 

self-harm verb to deliberately injure yourself, for example by cutting yourself, as a way to express or try to deal with feeling very unhappy or worried

• The doctors were worried because the patient was self-harming every week. 

self-isolate verb to avoid contact with other people in order to prevent the spread of infection

SYNONYM self-quarantine

• I was in close contact with the patient so I needed to self-isolate for 6 days to make sure I was infected. 

Can you think of any words that begin with self that I left out of my list? Tell me in the comments.

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