self-determination

/ˌsɛlfdɪˌtɜː(ɹ)mɪˈneɪʃən/

noun

The ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others

Similar
self-governmentself-rule
OriginEnglish determination ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

nounself-determination (uncountable)
  1. uncountableethicsThe ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  2. uncountablegovernmentThe political independence of a people.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has categorically ruled out any new negotiations saying the future of the Falklands can only be decided by the islanders themselves in accordance with the UN principle of self-determination.

    2013 January 3, Luke Harding, Uki Goni, The Guardian
  3. uncountableinternational lawThe collective right of a people to determine its own destiny in the international order, to choose its own political status and to determine its own form of economic, cultural and social development.

Synonyms & antonyms

noungovernment of a political unit by its own people

Similar
self-governmentself-rule
Broader
autonomyliberty
Also see
nationalityself-determinismself-governmentself-rule

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englishdetermination
  9. Englishself-determination

From self- + determination.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic تَقْرِيرُ المَصِير
  • تَقْرِيرُ المَصِير (taqrīru al-maṣīr)political independence of a people
Bulgarian самоопределяне, самоопределе́ние
  • самоопределяне (samoopredeljane)ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • самоопределе́ние (samoopredelénie)political independence of a people
Catalan autodeterminació
  • autodeterminaciópolitical independence of a people
Chinese Mandarin 自決 /自决
  • 自決 /自决 (zìjué)political independence of a people
Czech sebeurčení
  • sebeurčenípolitical independence of a people
Danish selvbestemmelse
  • selvbestemmelsepolitical independence of a people
Dutch zelfbeschikking
  • zelfbeschikkingpolitical independence of a people
Finnish itsemääräämisoikeus
  • itsemääräämisoikeuspolitical independence of a people
French autodétermination
  • autodéterminationpolitical independence of a people
German Selbstbestimmung
  • Selbstbestimmungpolitical independence of a people
Greek αυτοδιάθεση
  • αυτοδιάθεση (aftodiáthesi)political independence of a people
Hindi आत्मनिर्णय, स्वायत्तता
  • आत्मनिर्णय (ātmanirṇay)ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • स्वायत्तता (svāyattatā)political independence of a people
  • आत्मनिर्णय (ātmanirṇay)political independence of a people
Hungarian önrendelkezés
  • önrendelkezéspolitical independence of a people
Irish féinchinneadh, féinchinntiúchán
  • féinchinneadhpolitical independence of a people
  • féinchinntiúchánpolitical independence of a people
Italian autodeterminazione
  • autodeterminazionepolitical independence of a people
Korean 자결권
  • 자결권 (jagyeolgwon)political independence of a people
Lithuanian apsisprendimas
  • apsisprendimaspolitical independence of a people
Māori motuhaketanga, tino rangatiratanga
  • motuhaketangapolitical independence of a people
  • tino rangatiratangapolitical independence of a people
Norwegian Bokmål selvbestemmelse, sjølbestemmelse
  • selvbestemmelsepolitical independence of a people
  • sjølbestemmelsepolitical independence of a people
Persian تعیین سرنوشت
  • تعیین سرنوشت (ta'yin-e sarnevešt)political independence of a people
Polish samostanowienie, samostanowienie
  • samostanowienieability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
  • samostanowieniepolitical independence of a people
Portuguese autodeterminação
  • autodeterminaçãopolitical independence of a people
Romanian autodeterminare
  • autodeterminarepolitical independence of a people
Russian самоопределе́ние
  • самоопределе́ние (samoopredelénije)political independence of a people
Spanish autodeterminación
  • autodeterminaciónpolitical independence of a people
Swedish självbestämmande
  • självbestämmandepolitical independence of a people
Turkish otodeterminasyon
  • otodeterminasyonpolitical independence of a people
Ukrainian самовизначення
  • самовизначення (samovyznačennja)political independence of a people
Vietnamese sự tự quyết, quyền tự quyết
  • sự tự quyếtpolitical independence of a people
  • quyền tự quyếtpolitical independence of a people
Welsh hunanbenderfyniad
  • hunanbenderfyniadpolitical independence of a people
Cite this entry
APA

self-determination. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-determination

MLA

“self-determination.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-determination. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-determination,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-determination.

Source: self-determination on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.