{
    "term": "self",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the type of person you are, especially the way you normally behave, look or feel",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You'll soon be feeling **your old self** again *(= feeling well or happy again)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's not **his usual** happy **self** this morning."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Only with a few people could she be **her real self** *(= show what she was really like rather than what she pretended to be)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "his private/professional self *(= how he behaves at home/work)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's his usual cheerful self again."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She knew that with a holiday he would be back to his former self."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her private and public selves were vastly different."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["whole", "real", "true"],
                "verb + self": ["reveal", "discover", "find"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a loss of self",
                    "a sense of self",
                    "a shadow of your former self"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a person’s personality or character that makes them different from other people",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Many people living in institutions have lost their **sense of self** *(= the feeling that they are individual people)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the inner self *(= a person’s emotional and spiritual character)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a lack of confidence in the self"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was afraid to reveal his innermost self."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a book about reaching for one's better self"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a movie about a boy who falls in love and finds his true self in the process"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He argues that there has been an increased focus on the self."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["whole", "real", "true"],
                "verb + self": ["reveal", "discover", "find"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a loss of self",
                    "a sense of self",
                    "a shadow of your former self"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "your own advantage or pleasure rather than that of other people",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She didn't do it for any reason of self."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Self, self, self! That’s all you ever think about!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "used to refer to a person",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You didn't hurt your little self, did you?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We look forward to seeing Mrs Brown and **your good self** this evening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was very thirsty (note to self: bring water on walks!)."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to not have the strength, influence, etc. that you used to have",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "When his career ended, he became a shadow of his former self."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/self/",
                "audio": "se/self/self__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/selvz/",
                "audio": "se/self/selves__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/self/",
                "audio": "se/self/self__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/selvz/",
                "audio": "se/self/selves__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelf and German selbe. Early use was emphatic, expressing the sense ‘(I) myself’, ‘(he) himself’, etc."
}