self-portrait

noun

self-por·​trait ˌself-ˈpȯr-trət How to pronounce self-portrait (audio)
-ˌtrāt
: a portrait of oneself done by oneself

Examples of self-portrait in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Read on for an exclusive look at Lowell’s experience in the show, in his own words: 01 of 09 Ready for My Close-Up In my dressing room, taking a self-portrait with my Hasselblad. Chris Lowell and Raven Brunner, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Bachardy’s self-portraits and drawings of Isherwood pepper the galleries, a confluence that reveals something that should be obvious: Two portrait artists, one pictorial and the other literary, resided for decades in the same household. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025 Rembrandt was a casualty of the same commercial culture that produced the gallery in which his image hangs today, and his self-portrait conveys the richest and most ambivalent emotions that the collection contains. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025 Much of his new work is being added to the Paris show: two very large paintings, one inspired by Edvard Munch and the other by William Blake; a new self-portrait (he’s done more than 100); a portrait of one of the two nurses who are now with him around the clock. Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-portrait

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-portrait was in 1822

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-portrait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-portrait. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

self-portrait

noun
self-por·​trait
ˈself-ˈpōr-trət,
-ˈpȯr-,
-ˌtrāt
: a portrait of oneself made by oneself

More from Merriam-Webster on self-portrait

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!