self-improvement en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English improvement English self-improvement From self- + improvement.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The following of a disciplined programme to improve one's physical health, mental health or character.
He believes that self-improvement and its growing popularity are symptoms of what he calls individualism.
2019 May 2, Nina Avramova, “When you should use self-help programs and when to skip them”, in CNN, archived from the original on 13 Jun 2025:
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(countable, uncountable) The bettering of one's status.
In the year 1851 a small group of workmen in the Locomotive Department of the old Midland Railway Company at Derby met for self-improvement, and formed what was then known as a "reading society".
1944 May and June, Arthur B. Longbottom, “The Derby Railway Institute”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:Ambition and self-improvement are certainly not negatives, although one potential downside to being more self-conscious—especially for punk bands—is muted urgency.
2017 January 20, Annie Zaleski, “AFI sounds refreshed and rejuvenated on its 10th album, AFI (The Blood Album)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2018:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| self-improvements | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Hypernyms
Synonyms
Translations (28)
es superación personal (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · de Selbstentwicklung (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · sk sebazdokonaľovanie (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · de Selbstverbesserung (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · cmn 自強 /自强 (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · vi tự cải tiến (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · mg fampihatsaran-tena (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · mg fihatsaran-tena (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · cmn 自我修養 /自我修养 (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · de persönliche Weiterbildung (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · bg самоусъвърше́нстване (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · cmn 自我改善 (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · it autoperfezionamento (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · mk самоподобрување (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · uk самоудоскона́лення (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · fi itsensä kehittäminen (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · el αυτοβελτίωση (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · cs sebezdokonalování (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · fr développement personnel (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · sh samousavršavanje (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · nl persoonlijke ontwikkeling (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · ru самосоверше́нствование (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · sh самоусавршавање (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · pl rozwój osobisty (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · uk самовдоскона́лення (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · et enesetäiendus (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · it automiglioramento (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character) · es autosuperación (following a disciplined programme to improve one’s health or character)