1
as in self-indulgent
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2
as in independent
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Recent Examples of self-directed
On Mondays, those students will have schoolwork to complete, but that work will be self-directed.
—
Cameron Knight, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2023
The video, which Swift wrote and self-directed, features a two-minute comedy sketch about her own funeral.
—Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023
Most mutual fund companies and brokers say their IRAs are self-directed.
—Bob Carlson, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
Cameron Knight, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2023
The video, which Swift wrote and self-directed, features a two-minute comedy sketch about her own funeral.
—Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023
Most mutual fund companies and brokers say their IRAs are self-directed.
—Bob Carlson, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-directed
Adjective
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What felt different was how formerly personal (and occasionally self-indulgent) matters telescoped into broader concerns.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
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As Black women face workforce trends like layoffs, burnout, and furloughs more acutely, which can impact mental and physical health, this mindset shift, ironically, underscores that soft living within a community context is a sustainable practice, not a self-indulgent one.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Jim Walden, independent candidate for New York City mayor, on Tuesday dropped out of the race while calling on other hopefuls to get behind the second-most popular choice in an effort to defeat New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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The political maelstrom caught the attention of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who capitalized on the drama over the cellphone legislation to make a pitch for his independent campaign to be Michigan's next governor.—
Clara Hendrickson,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
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But the Civic Center Authority was facing a multi-million-dollar gap in its 2026 budget, and under the former Irvin administration, the city was considering filling that gap as part of a larger plan to make the organization financially self-sufficient again, according to past reporting.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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One is inner-directed, determined to build self-esteem.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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The study, published August 4, 2025, in Nature Communications, could reshape how protective materials are designed, opening doors to lighter, more efficient, and application-specific shock-absorbing solutions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
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And bets of $10 or more on higher-risk parlays — gambling that two or more specific things will happen — also will be free of the charge.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The kooky characters surrounding Judge Stone included the conceited prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), the imposing bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll), and the idealistic public defender Christine Sullivan (Markie Post), each of whom had various quirks of their own.—
Dan Heching,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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This is the worst kind of football team: a conceited but objectively mediocre squad.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
17 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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All but the most vainglorious architects imagine that their buildings will change in some small way after completion.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
2 Sep. 2025
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The real real thing tended to be rather different: clumsy, ad hoc, vainglorious—and secret.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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This doesn’t mean the United States should be complacent.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
Mercury News,
30 Aug. 2025
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Chism won’t be taking his foot off the gas pedal or get complacent now that he’s made the team.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-directed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-directed. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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