| aikido |
a system of self-defense, originating in Japan, in which an opponent's strength and weight are used against him or her by using specific throws and holds. |
| amour-propre |
(French) self-love; self-esteem. |
| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| arrogant |
having or displaying an attitude of inflated self-importance or pride. [1/2 definitions] |
| ascetic |
one who practices extreme self-denial, esp. of material comforts and pleasures, and esp. for religious reasons. [3 definitions] |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. [1/2 definitions] |
| assurance |
freedom from doubt or timidity; self-confidence. [1/3 definitions] |
| autarky |
a national policy of economic self-sufficiency, involving not relying on economic aid or on imports. [2 definitions] |
| autodidact |
a person who is self-taught at something. |
| autogamy |
in botany, self-fertilization, as of a flower with its own pollen. [2 definitions] |
| automatic |
mechanically self-regulating. [1/4 definitions] |
| automobile |
a four-wheeled vehicle with a built-in, self-propelled motor requiring a driver and used on roads to carry people; passenger car. |
| autonomous |
free and independent, as a state or an organism; self-governing. |
| autonomy |
freedom and independence; self-governance. [2 definitions] |
| axiomatic |
of, relating to, or resembling an axiom; unquestionably true; self-evident. [1/2 definitions] |
| bashful |
timid or self-conscious in the presence of others; shy. [1/2 definitions] |
| bathyscaph |
a small, self-contained deep-sea research submarine with a spherical observation chamber mounted under the hull. |
| beatnik |
a person whose values, self-expression, and dress reflect a rejection of conventional norms of thought and behavior; hippie. [1/2 definitions] |
| biofeedback |
a method for self-regulation of presumably involuntary bodily functions, such as heartbeat rate, with the aid of electronic monitors that display visual representations of such functions. |
| blush |
to become red in the face as an involuntary expression of shame, confusion, or other self-conscious discomfort. [1/7 definitions] |
| bombardier beetle |
any of several beetles that spray an acrid, irritating fluid from the abdomen as a method of self-defense. |