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Glite Dictionary
to bring oneself

to bring oneself

54 6.0
To force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant
  • phrasal verb
  • /brɪŋ wʌnˈsɛlf/
translation icon : decidirse a
  • Despite her definite "no" answer, I could not bring myself to leave the dig site.

Examples

  • But now that it was hers, she couldn't bring herself to let it go.

    Jack Reacher (2012)

  • She could not bring herself to say goodbye to her childhood home.

  • Here was royal treatment at last, yet I could not bring myself to be grateful.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • But I simply cannot bring myself to regret leaving you.

    Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

  • You mean you couldn't bring yourself to accept the situation, sir?

    Sleuth (1972)

  • But for some reason, she could not bring herself to talk to him about the mailman.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I don't think I can bring myself to do that yet.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Her bones ached with exhaustion, but she could not bring herself to leave the tower.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • After much thought, he decided to bring himself to apologize for his mistake.

  • He finally brought himself to confront his fears and speak in front of the crowd.

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to shirk
19 6.3

To avoid doing work because it is hard or unpleasant

How Determined

to bring oneself
54 6.0
to try
∞ 1.0
to hesitate
318 2.5

Surface Forms

bring oneself infinitive
bringing oneself present participle
brings oneself third person singular
brought oneself past
brought oneself past participle

Morphology

bring + oneself

The sense can be partially inferred from 'bring' (to put into a state) plus the reflexive 'oneself' — together suggesting causing oneself to be in a state to act. However, the specific idiomatic nuance of forcing or persuading oneself (often in negative contexts) is somewhat metaphorical and not fully predictable to an average B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The expression bring oneself comes from a simple image: to bring your own body, as if you had to pick up and move yourself to do something you really do not want to do. That's why it means 'to force or persuade yourself to do something'.