to be oneself
4
2.8
- phrasal verb
- And I realise now I just have to be myself.
Examples
-
Marlise has to be herself and wear what she would normally wear.
Fiction book (1998) -
- The one place she can be herself.
-
I guess I just try to be myself.
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You just got to be yourself.
-
I could just be myself.
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It's not going to be live, so just, like, relax and be yourself.
-
What every modern girl should know is how to be herself.
Academic text (2016) -
When Frankie's father is away and she is at home with just her stepmother, school is one of the only places she can be herself.
Academic text (1998) -
It is kind of nice, not having to hide anything, just being myself, knowing he isn't hiding anything from me.
-
In his new job, he feels free to be himself without worrying about others' opinions.
Synonyms
34
8.3
Stay honest and true to yourself
15
4.2
Act on your own without following what other people want
Antonyms
How Natural
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to act in a natural and genuine way' is directly derivable from combining 'be' (to exist/act as) with 'oneself' (one's own self); a learner who knows both constituents can infer the intended sense. This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'ser uno mismo', French 'être soi‑même'), so it will be transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Be oneself paints a simple picture: imagine taking off a mask or costume and showing your real face instead of acting a part. So to be oneself means 'to act naturally' and not pretend to be someone else.