Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

self-sufficient

/sˌɛlfsəfˈɪʃənt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.27 in modern English

Syllables: self---suf-fi-cient
IPA: /sˌɛlfsəfˈɪʃənt/

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

6

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Able to provide for oneself independently of others; not needing external support.

adj

Overconfident in one's own abilities; arrogant.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Over the next few decades, several million humans immigrated to Eden Prime and a primarily agrarian culture developed. The new colony quickly became not only self-sufficient, but began exporting goods."
"In spite of these conscientious reflections, he was too self-sufficient to think he should find any difficulty in obtaining forgiveness for these sins of omission […]."
"To rescue London from this short-termism, Byford has put forward a deal that would fill the current gap of £500m annually, explaining: "If we can fill that gap, we can get back to being self-sufficient by 2023.""

Etymology

From self- + sufficient, a calque of Ancient Greek αὐτάρκης (autárkēs).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: self

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more self-sufficient (comparative) most self-sufficient (superlative)

Phrases

self-sufficiently self-sufficiency

Frequently Paired Words

self-sufficiency

Synonyms

self-sufficing self-sustaining

Rhymes With

efficient sufficient insufficient inefficient coefficient deficient proficient omniscient beneficent cost-efficient immunodeficient haploinsufficient

Questions

How do you pronounce self-sufficient?: The recorded pronunciation is /sˌɛlfsəfˈɪʃənt/.
What does self-sufficient mean?: Able to provide for oneself independently of others; not needing external support.
Where does self-sufficient come from?: From self- + sufficient, a calque of Ancient Greek αὐτάρκης (autárkēs).

How to pronounce self-sufficient

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “self-sufficient”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sˌɛlfsəfˈɪʃənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “self-sufficient”.
Repeat and practice — Say “self-sufficient” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.