self-conception

noun

self-con·​cep·​tion ˌself-kən-ˈsep-shən How to pronounce self-conception (audio)

Examples of self-conception in a Sentence

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.
Community, especially among men who have regained their self-conception after a split and those still in process, might well be the answer. Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Rather than allow such stereotypes to undercut my budding self-conception, my parents sought to put me into circumstances in which I was required to speak up and demonstrate my intelligence, not just to other people but also—and more importantly—to myself. Essence, 20 Sep. 2024 Although the United States’ self-conception is one of a nation of immigrants—look no further than the Emma Lazarus poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty—the country has been relatively stingy in welcoming refugees. Gregory Maniatis, Foreign Affairs, 27 July 2022 The Kremlin sees itself as helming a global power, yet its grandiose self-conception is badly mismatched with the human resources at its disposal. Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019 With a national self-conception as old as that of Catalonia, with its own language and culture, there may always be some group vying for independence, regardless of how good the quality of life is for its citizens. R. Joseph Huddleston, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2017 This creed became his middle son’s inheritance, the core of his self-conception as the uniquely unillusioned defender of the State of Israel. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 Enlarge / Evernote's self-conception of its brain-decluttering powers. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023 If science, coming from outside, tells us that our self-conceptions are confused, so much the worse for them. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-conception was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near self-conception

Cite this Entry

“Self-conception.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-conception. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!