Definition

1. Noun:
   • An understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities: The conscious awareness and comprehension of one's own character, feelings, motives, desires, strengths, and weaknesses.

Usage

• Self-knowledge is an uncountable noun. It refers to the general state or process of understanding oneself.
• It is typically used in formal, psychological, or philosophical contexts but is also common in everyday discussions about personal growth.

Examples

• Noun:
  • True wisdom begins with genuine self-knowledge.
  • The therapy sessions helped her gain greater self-knowledge about her emotional triggers.
  • His lack of self-knowledge often led him to make poor career choices.

Advanced Usage

• "To pursue self-knowledge": To actively seek a deeper understanding of oneself.
  • He spent a year traveling alone to pursue self-knowledge.
• "A journey of self-knowledge": A process or period of life dedicated to learning about oneself.
  • Writing the memoir became a profound journey of self-knowledge for the author.

Variants and Related Words

• Self-aware (adj): Having conscious knowledge of one's own character and feelings.
  • A self-aware individual can recognize their own biases.
• Self-discovery (n): The process of acquiring insight into one's own character.
  • The trip was a period of intense self-discovery.
• Introspection (n): The examination of one's own thoughts and feelings.
  • Quiet introspection is a path to self-knowledge.

Synonyms

• Self-awareness: Conscious knowledge of one's own character and feelings.
• Self-understanding: Comprehension of one's own motives or character.

Antonyms

• Self-ignorance: Lack of knowledge or awareness about oneself.
• Self-deception: The action or practice of allowing oneself to believe a false idea about oneself.

Related Phrases

• "Know thyself": A famous philosophical maxim, often associated with Socrates, emphasizing the importance of self-knowledge.
  • The ancient dictum "know thyself" is the foundation of self-knowledge.

Noun

1. an understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities