self-sufficient

adjective

self-suf·​fi·​cient ˌself-sə-ˈfi-shənt 

1

: able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid : capable of providing for one's own needs

a self-sufficient farm

2

: having an extreme confidence in one's own ability or worth : haughty, overbearing

Synonyms

• independent
• self-dependent
• self-reliant
• self-subsistent
• self-subsisting
• self-supported
• self-supporting
• self-sustained
• self-sustaining

Examples of self-sufficient in a Sentence

the college student worked nights so that he would be self-sufficient

Recent Examples on the Web

Typically, this produces less power than a gas generator, but having enough panels and the proper circuitry can make your RV trips even more self-sufficient. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025

The campus must also be financially self-sufficient by 2045, or when the bond is paid off if that comes first. —Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025

Why would becoming more self-sufficient also open them up to trade shocks? —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025

Trump has frequently quipped that the US doesn’t need to import items like lumber, cars and oil, claiming that natural resources and manufacturing potential are plentiful enough domestically for America to be self-sufficient. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-sufficient

• beneficent
• coefficient
• inefficient
• insufficient
• deficient
• efficient
• omniscient
• proficient
• sufficient

Kids Definition

self-sufficient

adjective

self-suf·​fi·​cient

ˌself-sə-ˈfish-ənt

: able to take care of oneself without outside help : independent