besides oneself

A form of beside oneself — Overcome; consumed by an emotion.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. EarlyModernEarly Modern form of beside oneself.

    For I am under the same accusation with my Saviour—for they said, he is besides himself.

    1759–c. 1763, Christopher Smart, Jubilate Agno; first published as W. F. Stead, editor, Rejoice in the Lamb: A Song from Bedlam, 1939
    2 more examples

    Feſtus ſayde with a lowde voyce: Paul / thou arte beſides thy ſilfe. Moche learnynge hath made the mad.

    1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Actes off the Apostles xxvj:[24], folio cxcv, recto

    Notwithſtondinge it came ſo often vnto him / that what with laboure and whate with feare / the man was almoſt beſides him ſilfe / and then was he ſent to Oxfoꝛth to aſke counſell what was beſt to be done.

    A Disputation of Purgatory

    c. 1531, John Frith, A diſputaciõ of purgatoꝛye [A Disputation of Purgatory]
Cite this entry
APA

besides oneself. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besides%20oneself

MLA

“besides oneself.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besides%20oneself. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “besides oneself,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besides%20oneself.

Source: besides oneself on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.