Standard Lemma guide

self-determination

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌsɛlfdɪˌtɜː(ɹ)mɪˈneɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 L F D IH0 T ER2 M AH0 N EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: ethics, human-sciences, law, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The political independence of a people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The collective right of a people to determine its own destiny in the international order, to choose its own political status and to determine its own form of economic, cultural and social development.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Qualifier: international law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

determination of one's own fate or course of action without compulsion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: free will, discretion

5

noun

Meaning 5

government of a political unit by its own people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: self-government, self-rule

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: autonomy, liberty

Narrower terms: sovereignty, local option, home rule

History

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 determination English self-determination From self- + determination.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: самоопределяне (samoopredeljane) — ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • Georgian: თვითგამორკვევა (tvitgamorḳveva) — ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • Hindi: आत्मनिर्णय (ātmanirṇay) — ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • Polish: samostanowienie — ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • Arabic: تَقْرِيرُ المَصِير (taqrīru al-maṣīr) — political independence of a people
  • Armenian: ինքնորոշում (inkʻnorošum) — political independence of a people
  • Bulgarian: самоопределе́ние (samoopredelénie) — political independence of a people
  • Catalan: autodeterminació — political independence of a people
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自決 /自决 (zìjué) — political independence of a people
  • Czech: sebeurčení — political independence of a people
  • Danish: selvbestemmelse — political independence of a people
  • Dutch: zelfbeschikking — political independence of a people
  • Finnish: itsemääräämisoikeus — political independence of a people
  • French: autodétermination — political independence of a people
  • Galician: autodeterminación — political independence of a people
  • Georgian: თვითგამორკვევა (tvitgamorḳveva) — political independence of a people
  • German: Selbstbestimmung — political independence of a people
  • Greek: αυτοδιάθεση (aftodiáthesi) — political independence of a people
  • Hindi: स्वायत्तता (svāyattatā) — political independence of a people
  • Hindi: आत्मनिर्णय (ātmanirṇay) — political independence of a people
  • Hungarian: önrendelkezés — political independence of a people
  • Irish: féinchinneadh — political independence of a people
  • Irish: féinchinntiúchán — political independence of a people
  • Italian: autodeterminazione — political independence of a people
  • Kazakh: өзін-өзі билеу (özın-özı bileu) — political independence of a people
  • Korean: 자결권 (jagyeolgwon) — political independence of a people
  • Lithuanian: apsisprendimas — political independence of a people
  • Macedonian: самоопределување (samoopredeluvanje) — political independence of a people
  • Māori: motuhaketanga — political independence of a people
  • Māori: tino rangatiratanga — political independence of a people
  • Navajo: tʼáá hó ájítʼéego — political independence of a people
  • Norman: dêtèrminnâtion dé sé — political independence of a people
  • Norwegian Bokmål: selvbestemmelse — political independence of a people
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sjølbestemmelse — political independence of a people
  • Persian: تعیین سرنوشت (ta'yin-e sarnevešt) — political independence of a people
  • Polish: samostanowienie — political independence of a people
  • Portuguese: autodeterminação — political independence of a people
  • Romanian: autodeterminare — political independence of a people
  • Russian: самоопределе́ние (samoopredelénije) — political independence of a people
  • Spanish: autodeterminación — political independence of a people
  • Swedish: självbestämmande — political independence of a people
  • Turkish: otodeterminasyon — political independence of a people
  • Ukrainian: самовизначення (samovyznačennja) — political independence of a people
  • Vietnamese: sự tự quyết — political independence of a people
  • Vietnamese: quyền tự quyết — political independence of a people
  • Welsh: hunanbenderfyniad — political independence of a people
Real reading context

self-determination in complete knowledge articles