self-reliance

noun

self-re·​li·​ance ˌself-ri-ˈlī-ənts How to pronounce self-reliance (audio)
: reliance on one's own efforts and abilities

Examples of self-reliance in a Sentence

some people don't achieve self-reliance until they're over 30 years old
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
President Trump wants peace, but also wants fair trade and more self-reliance for the American economy. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025 Officials in Beijing have pushed China’s tech companies to pivot from entertainment apps to what the government sees as an existential goal: self-reliance in cutting-edge technologies that also have military applications, like semiconductors, supercomputers and artificial intelligence. Meaghan Tobin, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 In recent months Daum has spoken on her podcast and written in the New York Times about how the fire has utterly changed her life: A lifelong commitment to self-reliance, inherited from her parents, has given way to a new understanding of the relationship between help and love. Charles Arrowsmith, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025 But doctrines to shrink-the-state and cut taxes have limited revenue collection, thus hindering self-reliance. David Sogge, Time, 5 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-reliance

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-reliance was in 1668

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reliance. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

self-reliance

noun
self-re·​li·​ance
ˌsel-fri-ˈlī-ənts
: trust in one's own efforts and abilities
self-reliant
-ənt
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on self-reliance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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