self-help

English

Etymology

From self- +‎ help.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

self-help (uncountable)

  1. The practice of bettering oneself without relying on the assistance of others.
    a self-help book
    • 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings‎[1], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 91:
      Look at the self-help titles in the bookstore, and you'll get a few clues about our culture. They're all about aggression and acquisition. It wouldn't be at all surprising to see a book called How to Force your Will on Other People by Giving Them the Shaft and Fucking Them out of Their Money.
    • 2019 May 2, Nina Avramova, “When you should use self-help programs and when to skip them”, in CNN‎[2]:
      Amanda Straw estimates that she has read nearly 200 self-help books.
  2. (law) An act of redressing or preventing a wrong by one's own actions rather than through legal proceedings.
    self-help repossession

Synonyms

Translations

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