self-love

noun

ˌself-ˈləv 

: love of self: such as

a

: an appreciation of one's own worth or virtue

Self-love begins when we observe our actions and words with compassion as if we were our own best friend.

—Sara M Bosworth

Just as you'd think, it's love—particular, self-love—that makes the world go around.

—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Often we are reluctant to promote self-love mostly because we confuse it with selfishness. Since we are humans, we ought to have a healthy love for ourselves; it is from this fount that love flows out to others.

—Mason Olds

b

: proper regard for and attention to one's own happiness or well-being

Nurturing your body seems simple, but for me it feels like an extreme act of self-love.

—Danielle d'Entremont

Lisa Concepcion, a certified professional love life coach and founder of LoveQuest Coaching, says that journaling is an excellent way to practice self-love.

—SheKnows

c

: inflated love of or pride in oneself : narcissism, conceit

… individuals ruled by self-love and selfishness …

—John Saillant

"Then from myself pray understand that I will say nothing to flatter your self-love."

—Anthony Trollope

… there was the self-love of those conceited blockheads who … were convinced that they themselves were superior to anything the age could produce.

—John Clive

self-loving

ˌself-ˈlə-viŋ 

adjective

Synonyms

• amour propre
• bighead
• complacence
• complacency
• conceit
• conceitedness
• ego
• egotism
• pomposity
• pompousness
• pride
• pridefulness
• self-admiration
• self-assumption
• self-conceit
• self-congratulation
• self-esteem
• self-glory
• self-importance
• self-opinion
• self-satisfaction
• smugness
• swelled head
• swellheadedness
• vaingloriousness
• vainglory
• vainness
• vanity

Examples of self-love in a Sentence

nurtured a self-love that was far greater than any affection she ever felt for another person

Recent Examples on the Web

Rose Quartz: For self-love and compassion The quintessential stone of love and compassion, rose quartz can greatly benefit Cancers. —Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024

Morris has been on a self-love journey over the last four years, which included becoming a mom in 2020 and getting a divorce from her husband of five years, country singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd. —Eva Hartman, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2024

Yeah, those comments about, uh, self-love were just the beginning. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 17 May 2024

The piece set out to encourage Black women while detailing how to be more intentional about self-care and self-love. —Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above