self-respect

self-respect — noun

1. The feeling that you are a person of value and deserve to be treated well — a se

1.nounB2
Definition

The feeling that you are a person of value and deserve to be treated well — a sense of your own worth that influences how you allow others to treat you.

Example

Jude had enough self-respect to walk away from a job that treated him badly.

self-respect + enough + to-infinitive

Losing her job made Yara question her self-respect.

collocation: question one's self-respect

Common collocations
  • have self-respect
  • lose self-respect
  • build self-respect
  • regain self-respect
  • strong self-respect
  • sense of self-respect
Synonyms
  • self-esteem

    broader term covering overall confidence and personal value; self-respect focuses more on how you let others treat you

  • self-worth

    emphasises the belief that you have value as a person, independent of achievements or opinions

  • dignity

    refers to the quality of being worthy of respect, often in difficult or humiliating situations

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

possessive + self-respect

sense of self-respect

Usage Note

Uncountable — never use with an indefinite article (*a self-respect). Commonly paired with possessive adjectives (my, his, her, their) or the phrase 'sense of'.

Common Mistakes

She has a strong self-respect.
She has strong self-respect.
self-respect is uncountable and does not take an indefinite article.
He lost his self-respects after the failure.
He lost his self-respect after the failure.
self-respect has no plural form.

2. Care for your own reputation and moral standards, shown by a refusal to do thing

2.nounC1
Definition

Care for your own reputation and moral standards, shown by a refusal to do things you consider wrong, shameful, or beneath you.

Example

Zola refused the money out of self-respect, saying she could not take payment for something she believed in.

out of self-respect (motivation clause)

Vinícius felt that signing that contract would damage his self-respect.

collocation: damage one's self-respect

Common collocations
  • out of self-respect
  • damage one's self-respect
  • protect one's self-respect
  • self-respect demands
  • self-respect would not allow
Synonyms
  • dignity

    closely related; dignity often refers to calm, serious behaviour that earns respect, while self-respect is about the internal moral standard

  • integrity

    focuses on honesty and strong moral principles rather than on personal pride or reputation

  • pride

    can overlap but may carry negative connotations of arrogance; self-respect is always positive

Antonyms
  • shame

    a painful feeling of having done something wrong or dishonourable

  • dishonour

    loss of respect from others or from oneself due to improper behaviour

Grammar Patterns

out of self-respect

possessive + self-respect

Usage Note

Common in the fixed phrase 'out of self-respect' to explain a refusal based on moral standards. Frequently appears with possessive determiners and verbs of protection or damage (protect, damage, lose).

Common Mistakes

He did it out of self-respects.
He did it out of self-respect.
self-respect is always singular.
I have a self-respect about my reputation.
I have self-respect when it comes to my reputation.
no indefinite article with uncountable self-respect.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Self-respect is the regard you have for yourself that governs how you allow others to treat you. Self-esteem is a broader term describing your overall sense of personal value and confidence — you can have low self-esteem but still act with self-respect by refusing bad treatment. Self-worth focuses on the belief that you have value as a person, independent of achievements or others' opinions. Dignity refers to the quality of being worthy of respect, often in difficult or humiliating situations. Pride can mean a healthy satisfaction in your own actions, but unlike self-respect it can also carry negative connotations of arrogance. For example: 'She kept her self-respect by not begging for the job back' vs. 'She took pride in her work' — both positive, but the emphasis differs.

self-esteem ↗self-worthdignity ↗pride ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of self-respect
  • loss of self-respect
  • lack of self-respect

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with self-respect
  • without self-respect
  • out of self-respect

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed within English by combining the prefix 'self-' (referring to oneself) with the noun 'respect', which comes from Latin 'respectus', meaning 'regard, consideration, looking back'. The compound 'self-respect' first appeared in English writing in the late 18th century.