self-possession
1
6.7
- noun
- /ˈsɛlf pəˈzɛʃən/
:
autocontrol
- He impressed everyone with his self-possession during the emergency, staying focused and collected.
And so one of the early stage markers for competence is self possession and calmness.
- And so one of the early stage markers for competence is self possession and calmness.
- And if you disagree with that, you must believe in the principle of self possession.
Examples
-
Lady Sibyl starts strolling about with great self-possession.
Fiction book (1998) -
I don't know what would have happened if Rosa had lost her self-possession at that moment.
Fiction book (1996) -
Thus, the image she presented exuded self-possession and power, woman as a free agent.
Academic text (2013) -
No one my age, I reasoned, had the right to such self-possession.
Fiction book (1995) -
Dorothea keeps her self-possession, but only just.
Fiction book (1995) -
Yet he looks so calm, so comfortable, so entirely at ease: a heightened form of self-possession.
Fiction book (1994) -
Merely that, and with any luck, Amedee will recover his self-possession before dawn.
Fiction book (2002) -
With her wide Slavic eyes and self-possession, Irma was unique, an icon at a picnic.
Fiction book (1992) -
In the great days of Germany, the days when Germans were thinkers, dreamers, and musicians, they taught the virtues of self-possession.
Academic text (1999) -
Despite the chaotic atmosphere, her self-possession allowed her to respond calmly to criticism.
Synonyms
122
4.8
The ability to control your feelings and actions
53
3.3
Being able to stop yourself from acting on strong feelings or wants when it is hard
49
3.5
Trust in your own skills and worth
38
5.1
Calm control of your feelings and actions in a difficult situation
8
8.2
Confidence and calm when you are under pressure
7
4.6
The ability to control your feelings and urges
4
3.5
Confidence in your own ability to do things and make choices
2
5.8
Being calm, balanced, and focused inside yourself
A calm and steady way of behaving in difficult situations
Calm control of your feelings when things are difficult
Ability to stay calm and control your actions and feelings
Being able to control your actions, feelings, or desires in hard situations
Antonyms
How Composed
Surface Forms
Morphology
self-possession = self + possession (opaque) = self + possession
Although built from 'self' + 'possession', the meaning 'composure; control of one's feelings' is not directly derivable from the common sense of 'possession' as ownership, so learners are unlikely to infer it.
Etymology
The word self-possession comes from two simple parts: self meaning 'yourself' and possession, from possess, meaning 'to have' or 'to be in control of'. So, self-possession is like 'having yourself' and means being calm and in control of your feelings and actions.