Himself: meaning, definitions and examples

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himself

[ hɪm'sɛlf ]

Pronoun

Oxford 3000

^{Context #1 | Pronoun}

reflexive

Used to refer to the person being mentioned as the object of a verb or preposition when they are also the subject of the clause.

Synonyms

her, him, oneself, them.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
himself	Use when referring back to a male subject who is the doer of the action. He baked the cake himself He prides himself on his achievements
him	Use when referring to a male object of the verb or preposition. She gave him a gift They talked about him
her	Use when referring to a female object of the verb or preposition; also possessive as in 'her book'. He gave the book to her It's her decision to make
them	Use when referring to a plural object of the verb or preposition; can be used for both male and female. I saw them at the park Please give them the note
oneself	Use in a generic sense when referring to an unspecified person (usually formally); can be used for both male and female. One must take care of oneself It's important to believe in oneself

Examples of usage

He told himself he would never give up.
She made the decision herself.
They can take care of themselves.
We need to rely on ourselves to succeed.
The cat groomed himself.

Translations

Translations of the word "himself" in other languages:

🇵🇹 ele mesmo

🇮🇳 स्वयं

🇩🇪 selbst

🇮🇩 dirinya sendiri

🇺🇦 сам

🇵🇱 sam

🇯🇵 彼自身 (かれじしん, kare jishin)

🇫🇷 lui-même

🇪🇸 él mismo

🇹🇷 kendisi

🇰🇷 그 자신 (geu jasin)

🇸🇦 نفسه (nafsuh)

🇨🇿 sám

🇸🇰 sám

🇨🇳 他自己 (tā zìjǐ)

🇸🇮 sam

🇮🇸 sjálfur

🇰🇿 өзі

🇬🇪 თავად (tavad)

🇦🇿 özü

🇲🇽 él mismo

Etymology

The word 'himself' originated from the Old English word 'him selfum', which meant 'himself'. It has been used in the English language for centuries to indicate a reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject of the sentence. The use of reflexive pronouns like 'himself' adds clarity and emphasis to the sentence structure.