Word.ws English Dictionary

self-attention

self-attention noun: a form of attention (machine learning method) where input sequence is compared with itself, i.e. the keys and queries are the same.

Noun

self-attention (uncountable)

  1. (machine learning) A form of attention (machine learning method) where input sequence is compared with itself, i.e. the keys and queries are the same.
    Antonyms:
    cross-attention
  2. Conscious attention to one's own physiological and emotional state and behavior.
    • According to self-attention theory in general, it can be predicted that heightened self-attention leads to a closer fit between observed behavior and some underlying salient standard.1986, Ralf Schwarzer, editor, Self-related Cognitions in Anxiety and Motivation, Psychology Press, →ISBN
    • Interest in the consequences of self-attention spread fairly quickly from social to personality psychologists.2012, C. S. Carver, M. F. Scheier, Attention and Self-Regulation, page 45

Antonyms of self-attention

Origin of self-attention

From self- + attention.

Questions about self-attention

What does self-attention mean?
Self-attention means a form of attention (machine learning method) where input sequence is compared with itself, i.e. the keys and queries are the same.
What part of speech is self-attention?
Self-attention is a noun.

Words near self-attention in the dictionary

  1. self-assumption
  2. self-assurance
  3. self-assured
  4. self-assuredly
  5. self-assuredness
  6. self-attention
  7. self-authenticating
  8. self-aware
  9. self-awareness
  10. self-balancing
  11. self-belief

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: self-attention (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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