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self-sustained

self-sustained

1 5.3
Able to continue to work or live without help from others
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɛlf səˈsteɪnd/
translation icon : autosostenible
  • They aim to create a self-sustained garden that can produce its own food year-round.
  • self-sustained country

EV seems to be on a self sustained rocket ship to the moon.

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Examples

  • This idea that we are self-sustaining, unique, incredibly powerful beings.

  • The U.S. government comes to the table as a partner, not a patron, lending resources and expertise and, eventually, putting itself out of business when a host country is self-sustaining.

    Academic text (2010)
  • These rhythms are self sustained, so they repeat of their own accord day after day.

  • No, everything is self-sustained.

    Blog text (20)
  • It would take a few years to establish the new order of things and get a self-sustained economy that will rely solely on itself rather than the other states.

    Blog text (24)
  • Landscape reconstruction and ecological invention both involve their practitioners in actively reshaping the natural world and creating (or re-creating) communities of species that can live together in an ongoing, self-sustained way.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The solar panel system allows the house to be entirely self-sustained without relying on external electricity sources.

  • Her goal is to develop a self-sustained community that depends on its own resources and skills.

Synonyms

self-sufficient
vsself-sustained
33 3.9

Can live without help from other people

is about continuing to operate or exist without outside support
self-contained
vsself-sustained
20 4.3

Complete and independent without needing anything else to work

focuses on internal completeness rather than on continuing without help
self-reliant
vsself-sustained
13 4.5

Able to act and decide without help from others

stresses using personal ability, not merely existing without outside support
stand-alone
vsself-sustained
  • Specialized
12 4.9

Able to work by itself without other equipment

is broader, covering continued existence without any external support
self-sustaining
vsself-sustained
10 5.7

Able to keep working without help from others

is the same in meaning but used in an alternative form
self-supporting
vsself-sustained
3 3.9

Has enough money to live without help from others

focuses on financial independence rather than general continued operation
self-sufficing
vsself-sustained
  • Archaic
7.4

Able to provide for yourself without help from others

is the same in meaning but is an older or less common form
self-acting
vsself-sustained
  • Specialized
6.7

A machine that works automatically without people needing to control it

refers to automatic operation specifically rather than general independence

Antonyms

182 2.8

Relying on someone else for help or support

45 5.0

Not able to continue in the same way for a long time

How Self-Sustaining

autonomous
51 6.3
self-sustained
1 5.3
stable
473 2.3
assisted
1 3.2
dependent
182 2.8

Surface Forms

self-sustained positive

Morphology

self-sustained = sustained (transparent) = self + sustain + ed

The meaning is a direct combination of 'self' (by itself) and 'sustained' (maintained), so learners who know the parts can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word self-sustained combines self ('by itself') and sustain ('keep going' or 'support'). A helpful image is a plant that keeps growing without help, which shows why something self-sustained can continue without outside support.