self-sufficient

self-sufficient — adjective

1. describing a person, community, or place that grows or produces enough food and

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person, community, or place that grows or produces enough food and other basic necessities to survive without buying from or depending on outside suppliers.

Example

The village became self-sufficient by growing rice and vegetables and raising chickens for meat.

collocation: self-sufficient + by + gerund for method

After installing solar panels, the Watanabe family was fully self-sufficient in electricity.

pattern: self-sufficient + in + resource

Common collocations
  • self-sufficient in food
  • self-sufficient community
  • self-sufficient farm
  • economically self-sufficient
  • become self-sufficient
  • largely self-sufficient
Synonyms
  • independent

    broader — can describe any kind of freedom, not just resource production

  • self-supporting

    more specific to financial or physical needs; less common than self-sufficient

  • self-reliant

    focuses on the ability to rely on one's own efforts rather than material output

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + self-sufficient

self-sufficient + in + resource

self-sufficient + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used to describe communities, regions, or households that produce their own food, water, or energy. When followed by in, it specifies the resource: self-sufficient in grain, self-sufficient in fuel.

Common Mistakes

The farm is self-sufficient enough food.
The farm is self-sufficient in food.
The correct pattern is self-sufficient + in + resource, not self-sufficient + noun directly.
He is self-sufficient to live without help.
He is self-sufficient and lives without help.
Self-sufficient does not take an infinitive complement.

2. describing a person who can manage their own feelings, make personal decisions,

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person who can manage their own feelings, make personal decisions, and handle everyday difficulties without needing constant reassurance, approval, or support from other people.

Example

Charlotte learned to be emotionally self-sufficient and no longer depends on her partner for decisions.

collocation: emotionally self-sufficient

The therapist helped Jin become more self-sufficient so he could manage anxiety on his own.

Common collocations
  • emotionally self-sufficient
  • financially self-sufficient
  • mentally self-sufficient
  • become self-sufficient
  • raise children to be self-sufficient
  • self-sufficient person
Synonyms
  • independent

    broader — can apply to any kind of autonomy

  • self-reliant

    implies practical confidence and initiative more than emotional stability

  • autonomous

    more formal; often used for moral or professional independence

Antonyms
  • dependent

    needing others for emotional support or guidance

  • needy

    informal; describes someone who constantly seeks reassurance

Grammar Patterns

be + self-sufficient

become + self-sufficient

self-sufficient + noun

Usage Note

Often used with an intensifying adverb such as emotionally, financially, or mentally to narrow the domain of independence. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not take the pattern self-sufficient in + resource.

Common Mistakes

She became self-sufficient with her feelings.
She became emotionally self-sufficient.
The correct pattern uses an adverb (emotionally), not a prepositional phrase with with.
He is a self-sufficient about his career.
He is self-sufficient in his career decisions.
When specifying a domain, use in + noun, not about.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Independent is the broadest of these words — it can describe anything from a country not ruled by others to a child who dresses without help. Self-reliant shifts the focus to personal resourcefulness and confidence in one's own abilities, but does not guarantee the material output that self-sufficient implies. Self-supporting is narrower and tends to refer specifically to financial or physical needs, often of an individual who earns enough to live on without aid. Autonomous is the most formal and is common in political and ethical contexts, describing entities that govern themselves. For example, a family that grows all their own food is self-sufficient; a teenager who does their own laundry and homework is self-reliant but not necessarily self-sufficient in the resource sense.

self-reliant ↗independent ↗self-supportingautonomous ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be self-sufficient in
  • become self-sufficient
  • live a self-sufficient life

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Self-sufficient combines self (meaning 'oneself') with sufficient, which comes from Latin sufficere (sufficient, to be adequate). The compound self-sufficient appeared in English around the 1580s, first carrying the neutral meaning of 'able to supply one's own needs.' By the 1700s it also took on a secondary emotional sense, describing a person who does not rely on others for comfort or direction.