self-organization

noun

A process of attraction and repulsion in which the internal organization of a system, normally an open system, increases in complexity without being guided or managed by an outside source.

Similar
self-organisation
OriginEnglish organization ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

nounself-organization (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecyberneticsA process of attraction and repulsion in which the internal organization of a system, normally an open system, increases in complexity without being guided or managed by an outside source.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounorganizing yourself (especially organizing your own labor union)

Similar
self-organisation
Broader
organizationorganisation

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. Englishorganization
  9. Englishself-organization

From self- + organization.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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