self-promotion

noun

self-pro·​mo·​tion ˌself-prə-ˈmō-shən 

plural self-promotions

: the act of furthering one's own growth, advancement, or prosperity : the promotion of oneself

didn't try to disguise his self-promotion

self-promoter

ˌself-prə-ˈmō-tər 

noun

plural self-promoters

a self-promoter who never mentioned his teammates in interviews

They both worked tirelessly on the project and never thought about bringing attention to themselves. They weren't self-promoters …

—Jim Lambert

self-promoting

ˌself-prə-ˈmō-tiŋ 

adjective

self-promoting speeches

a self-promoting celebrity/politician

Examples of self-promotion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Further, networking inherently requires self-promotion and confidence, but women can face backlash for appearing too self-assured, ambitious or aggressive. —Anou Khot, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

In addition, those who approach branding the wrong way (focusing on self-promotion rather than authenticity) risk alienating potential collaborators and employees. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2025

Secondly, Finnish members of the workforce prefer a more reserved approach to self-promotion. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Trump, in stark contrast, charted a course marked by business ventures of questionable success, reality TV stardom, and a penchant for self-promotion and conspiracy theories. —Alexis Coe, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-promotion

• locomotion
• commotion
• demotion
• devotion
• emotion
• laotian
• promotion
• lotion
• notion
• ocean
• potion