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Glite Dictionary
to bear oneself with dignity

to bear oneself with dignity

7.6
To behave calmly and with self-respect in difficult or formal situations
  • idiom
  • Formal
translation icon : mantenerse con dignidad
  • Even in defeat, the athlete tried to bear himself with dignity in front of his fans.

Examples

  • Even in the face of criticism, she managed to bear oneself with dignity during the meeting.

  • She always bears herself with dignity in public.

  • Despite the harsh criticism, she continued to bear herself with dignity at every meeting.

  • He managed to bear himself with dignity throughout the long and difficult trial.

  • Don't bear yourself with dignity!

  • At the ceremony, the winners bear themselves with dignity as they received their awards.

  • During difficult discussions, he always bears himself with dignity and respect for others.

Synonyms

to behave
vsto bear oneself with dignity
747 1.0

To act in a proper or polite way

is narrower, stressing composed dignity in formal or challenging situations
to bear
vsto bear oneself with dignity
33 6.7

To act in a particular way

is specific about calm, dignified conduct in formal or difficult situations
to carry oneself with dignity
vsto bear oneself with dignity
1 6.6

To behave in a calm, proud way when facing difficulty

is about composed, dignified conduct especially in formal or hard situations

Antonyms

to lose one's cool
  • Informal
5.9

To suddenly become very angry and fail to control your feelings

How Dignified

to bear oneself with dignity
  • Formal
7.6

Surface Forms

bear oneself with dignity infinitive
bearing oneself with dignity present participle
bears oneself with dignity third person singular
bore oneself with dignity past
borne oneself with dignity past participle

Morphology

bear + oneself + with + dignity

The sense 'to conduct oneself in a composed and dignified manner' follows directly from combining 'bear' (to carry or present), 'oneself' (one's own behavior), and the manner phrase 'with dignity'. Although slightly formal, the construction is compositional and mirrors common patterns in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Bear oneself with dignity uses an old meaning of bear that means 'to carry', so imagine someone holding their head and body straight and 'carrying' themselves with dignity. So the phrase means 'to behave' in a calm, proud way even when things are difficult.