emself

em·self
E1M3S1E1L1F4

pronoun

Em, a gender-neutral object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject, the reflexive form of em, equivalent to themselves/themself (also used for emphasis).

Scrabble 11
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Meanings

pronounemself (a reflexive, third person gender-neutral singular personal pronoun)
  1. gender neutralnonstandardpersonalpronounrarereflexivesingularthird personEm, a gender-neutral object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject, the reflexive form of em, equivalent to themselves/themself (also used for emphasis).

    In this particular instance, a wizard eventually took it upon emself to @toad Mr_Bungle...

    2003, Elizabeth Hess, Yib's Guide to MOOing: Getting the Most from Virtual Communities on the Internet, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, →OL, page 233
    3 more examples

    Eir sentences would sound smoother since ey wouldn't clutter them with the old sexist pronouns. And if ey should trip up in the new usage, ey would only have emself to blame.

    1975 August 23, Judie Black, “Ey has a word for it”, in Chicago Tribune, section 1, page 12

    The adult worries much less; is cautious, sensible and knows how to protect emself and eir system from attack and error.

    2004 March 31, Sue Thomas, Hello World : travels in virtuality, Raw Nerve Books, →ISBN, →OL, page 78

    As he^([sic]) struggled to yank Sarah back to eir room, Edward promised emself that ey'd do whatever ey could to save what was left of eir sibling's sanity- and protect em from their monster of a mother.

    2007, Morgan O'Friel, Larkenia's Flaws: Volume 1, Grand Rapids: TheSpindle, →ISBN, page 136

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
hirselfthonself

Origin

From em + -self, or by removing "th" from themself (cf. also 'emself, 'emselves).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with emself

selfyourselfitselfhimselfmyselfherselfshelfelfGuelphtwelfththyselfthemselfourselfdelfdelphhisselfRelphHelfBelfatselfChelfcoselfeirselfhirself
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

emself. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emself

MLA

“emself.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emself. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “emself,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emself.

Source: emself on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.