Word.ws English Dictionary

self-doubt

self-doubt noun: the doubting of one's own abilities.

Noun

self-doubt (countable and uncountable, plural self-doubts)

  1. The doubting of one's own abilities.
    • Yet in spite of these yearnings for a fallen leader, in spite of some bitterness, in spite of apprehensions, I knew it was imperative that I grasp the reins of power and do so without delay. Any hesitation or wavering, any false step, any sign of self-doubt, could have been disastrous. The nation...1971, Lyndon Johnson, “"I feel like I have already been here a year"”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 18
    • None of the three feel they have encountered any resistance from colleagues in pursuing their chosen industry paths, although Rachel recalls how self-doubt initially hindered her progress.2022 April 6, Tom Allett, “I wouldn't want to work anywhere else”, in RAIL, number 954, page 43

Forms of self-doubt

pluralself-doubts

Origin of self-doubt

From self- + doubt.

Questions about self-doubt

What does self-doubt mean?
Self-doubt means the doubting of one's own abilities.
What part of speech is self-doubt?
Self-doubt is a noun.
What is the plural of self-doubt?
The plural of self-doubt is self-doubts.

Words near self-doubt in the dictionary

  1. self-domesticate
  2. self-domesticated
  3. self-domesticates
  4. self-domesticating
  5. self-domestication
  6. self-doubt
  7. self-doubts
  8. self-dried
  9. self-dries
  10. self-drilling
  11. self-drilling screw

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: self-doubt (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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