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self-sufficing

self-sufficing

7.4
Able to provide for yourself without help from others
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɛlf səˈfaɪsɪŋ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : autosuficiente
  • The farmer was proud of his self-sufficing lifestyle, growing all the food his family needed.

Examples

  • But he described both peoples as "self-sufficing" and stated that "they don't need the money they get for their opium." He then described Lahu (Musus) as "much less interesting than the Meows and Yaos."

    Academic text (2004)
  • Living in a remote cabin, he enjoyed the self-sufficing life, where he hunted and gathered all his resources.

  • After years of hard work, she became self-sufficing and no longer relied on her parents for support.

Synonyms

self-sufficient
vsself-sufficing
33 3.9

Can live without help from other people

is a variant spelling or form of the same meaning
self-contained
vsself-sufficing
20 4.3

Complete and independent without needing anything else to work

is focused on supplying personal needs rather than describing a whole unit
self-reliant
vsself-sufficing
13 4.5

Able to act and decide without help from others

is about providing for needs rather than primarily trusting personal skills
self-sustaining
vsself-sufficing
10 5.7

Able to keep working without help from others

focuses on meeting needs rather than continued internal maintenance
self-supporting
vsself-sufficing
3 3.9

Has enough money to live without help from others

is broader covering all needs not only financial independence
self-sustained
vsself-sufficing
1 5.3

Able to continue to work or live without help from others

is about meeting needs rather than merely continuing operation

Antonyms

182 2.8

Relying on someone else for help or support

1 3.2

Getting help or support when doing something

How Self-Sufficient

independent
984 2.3
self-sufficing
  • Archaic
7.4
reliant
30 4.0
dependent
27 3.7

Surface Forms

self-sufficing positive

Morphology

self-sufficing = sufficing (transparent) = self + suffice + ing

The adjective is formed by adding the productive prefix 'self-' to 'sufficing' (from 'suffice'), yielding the clear meaning 'able to provide for one's own needs'.

Etymology

Self-sufficing begins with self and uses a root that means 'enough', the same root you see in sufficient. So, a self-sufficing person can 'be enough for themselves' and meet their own needs without help.