oneself

oneself — pronoun

1. used with 'one' to mean that same person again, especially in formal statements

1.pronounC1
Definition

used with 'one' to mean that same person again, especially in formal statements about people generally.

Example

Before blaming others, one should ask oneself a few honest questions.

ask oneself + question

At the school gate, one must identify oneself to the guard.

identify oneself to + person

Common collocations
  • ask oneself
  • identify oneself
  • present oneself
  • find oneself
Synonyms
  • yourself

    the everyday reflexive form used with 'you', not with 'one'

  • myself

    used when the subject is 'I'

  • themselves

    used for plural subjects such as 'they'

Grammar Patterns

one + verb + oneself

one + preposition + oneself

one + verb + oneself + complement

Usage Note

Usually found in formal or general statements with 'one', not in everyday conversation. In normal speech, speakers more often use 'yourself', 'myself', or another reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.

Common Mistakes

One should ask yourself this question first.
One should ask oneself this question first.
after the general subject 'one', the matching reflexive form is 'oneself'.
When one travels alone, you should protect oneself.
When one travels alone, one should protect oneself.
keep the subject pronoun consistent in the sentence.
Idioms

be oneself

idiom

To act naturally and feel comfortable, without pretending or being influenced by others.

After the stressful week, Mia just wanted to relax and be herself.

When you're with close friends, it's easier to be yourself.

(all) by oneself

idiom

Completely alone, without any other person present.

Sara finished the entire project all by herself.

Do you often eat lunch by yourself?

(all) to oneself

idiom

Not shared with anyone else; for the exclusive use of one person.

Brian had the whole office to himself after hours.

Aiden enjoys having the park all to himself early in the morning.

Word family

  • one
    pronounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

For this sense, oneself is the reflexive partner of the general pronoun one, so it appears in formal statements about people in general. Yourself is far more common in everyday English, but it goes with you, not one: You should ask yourself. Myself goes with I and is used when the speaker refers back to their own actions or feelings: I reminded myself to lock the door. Themselves is for plural subjects such as they, so it cannot replace oneself in a general rule. A useful memory line is this: One should prepare oneself sounds formal and broad, while You should prepare yourself sounds direct and everyday.

yourself ↗myself ↗themselves ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Oneself is built in English from one and self. As one developed into a formal pronoun meaning people in general, English used oneself as the matching form that points back to the same person. Older writing also showed the spaced form one's self, but the single-word spelling is now standard.