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What is the origin of selfie?
The first-known appearance of selfie in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, selfie was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 2013 memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word selfie, with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.
Examples of selfie in a Sentence
Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2025
Gomez, 32, and Abrams, 25, sing in a selfie video for the music video.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
The crowd delighted in their invitations, snapping selfies.
—Erica L. Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The woman in front of me, who wore a sparkly pantsuit and sneakers, was making a shaky video on Facebook Live, occasionally switching to selfie view.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Selfie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfie. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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