herself

IPA/hɜːˈself/
KK[hɚsˈɛlf]IPA/hɜːrˈself/

herself — pronoun

1. applies when a female subject performs an action that affects the same person —

1.pronounA2
Definition

applies when a female subject performs an action that affects the same person — for instance, a girl looking at herself in a mirror or teaching herself a new skill.

Example

Hui looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled.

reflexive: same subject and object

Emily taught herself to play the guitar using online videos.

Common collocations
  • look at herself
  • teach herself
  • hurt herself
  • dry herself
  • lock herself out

Grammar Patterns

verb + herself

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs describing daily-care actions (wash, dry, dress, cut) and verbs of mental activity (ask, tell, remind, teach). This sense does NOT work with state verbs such as 'know', 'like', or 'see' (e.g. ❌ 'she knows herself' outside an emphatic context).

Common Mistakes

She bought a gift for herself and a gift for him.' (correct but ambiguous — could be reflexive or emphatic).
Use the emphatic form 'She herself bought a gift…' to stress who did the buying.
The reflexive object form requires the subject and object to refer to the same person, which is true here, but learners often confuse when to add emphasis.

2. used to add force to a statement about a particular woman or girl, showing that

2.pronounA2
Definition

used to add force to a statement about a particular woman or girl, showing that she personally was responsible for something or is the one being referred to and nobody else.

Example

The queen herself opened the new hospital wing last Tuesday.

emphatic: follows a noun for emphasis

Femi met the author of the book herself at the fair.

Common collocations
  • the queen herself
  • the manager herself
  • the author herself
  • she herself

Grammar Patterns

noun + herself

pronoun + herself

Usage Note

The emphatic 'herself' follows a noun (the queen, the manager) or another pronoun (she herself). Remove 'herself' and the sentence stays grammatical but loses its intensity. Distinguish from sense 1 by position: emphatic 'herself' sits right after the noun it modifies, whereas reflexive 'herself' sits in the object slot of a verb.

Common Mistakes

She herself looked at herself in the mirror.' (both senses in one sentence — grammatically possible but very clunky).
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Use one sense at a time in simple sentences.

3. describes a situation in which a female person acts with no company or assistanc

3.pronounA2
Definition

describes a situation in which a female person acts with no company or assistance — she may be physically unaccompanied, or she may complete a task without support from another person.

Example

Tendai's daughter walked to school by herself for the first time.

collocation: by herself = alone or unaided

The old woman lived by herself in a small cottage near the river.

Common collocations
  • by herself
  • live by herself
  • walk by herself
  • do [something] by herself
Synonyms
  • alone

    emphasises solitude rather than independence; 'she sat alone' feels neutral

  • on her own

    interchangeable with 'by herself' in most contexts; slightly more informal

  • solo

    used for performances or travel; 'she travelled solo across Asia'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

by herself

Usage Note

The phrase 'by herself' can mean either 'alone' (no one else is there) or 'without help' (no one assists). Context usually makes the meaning clear. If you need to be precise, use 'all alone' for solitude or 'on her own' for independent effort.

Common Mistakes

She sat by herself at the table.' (ambiguous — could mean 'alone' or 'without help').
Use context or rephrase: 'She sat alone at the table.
Add clarifying context or choose a different phrase when the meaning matters.

4. something reserved for a specific woman or girl's exclusive possession or use, n

4.pronounB1
Definition

something reserved for a specific woman or girl's exclusive possession or use, not meant to be shared with anyone else.

Example

Each girl in the dormitory has a bathroom of her own.

possessive: of her own / for herself

The director keeps a private office for herself at the back of the building.

Common collocations
  • for herself
  • of her own
  • a room of her own
  • keep [something] for herself
Synonyms
  • of her own

    equivalent possessive construction; 'a room of her own'

  • private

    adjective that captures the 'not shared' aspect

Antonyms
  • shared

    direct opposite of exclusive use

Grammar Patterns

for herself

of her own

Usage Note

Often appears in the fixed construction 'a [noun] of her own' or '[noun] for herself'. This sense contrasts with sense 3 ('by herself'): sense 3 focuses on doing things alone or unaided, whereas sense 4 focuses on exclusive ownership or dedicated use of a space or object.

Common Mistakes

She wanted a room for herself alone.' (redundant — 'for herself' already implies exclusive use).
She wanted a room for herself.
Drop 'alone' as it adds nothing.

5. used to say that a woman or girl does not feel or behave the way she usually doe

5.pronounB1
Definition

used to say that a woman or girl does not feel or behave the way she usually does, especially because she is upset, stressed, tired, or slightly unwell.

Example

Hui has not been herself since she heard the bad news about her father.

fixed phrase: not herself = uncharacteristic

Mateo noticed that his grandmother was not herself during dinner last night.

Common collocations
  • not herself
  • be not herself
  • seem not herself
  • feel not herself
Synonyms
  • out of sorts

    informal, same meaning; 'she felt out of sorts all day'

  • off

    very informal, shorter form; 'she seemed a bit off today'

Antonyms
  • herself

    in the sense of 'back to normal'; 'she is finally herself again'

Grammar Patterns

be not herself

seem not herself

feel not herself

Usage Note

Used only in the negative ('not herself'). The positive form ('she is herself') is rare and restricted to very specific contexts. The verb is most commonly 'be', but 'seem', 'feel', and 'appear' also work.

Common Mistakes

She didn't feel her best.' (different construction — 'not her best' is about performance, not personality).
She didn't feel herself.
Use 'not herself' for a change in a person's usual mood or behaviour, not for a temporary drop in performance.

6. used in questions and statements about a woman's mental or emotional condition w

6.pronounB2
Definition

used in questions and statements about a woman's mental or emotional condition when she is suffering from a physical illness or injury — for example, asking whether she feels like her normal self despite the sickness.

Example

Although the fever had gone down, Hui still did not feel herself.

feel herself = feel normal despite illness

The doctor asked whether the patient felt more like herself after the medication.

Common collocations
  • feel herself
  • feel like herself
  • more like herself
  • starting to feel herself
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • ill

    the physical state that triggers the condition

  • unwell

    general term for poor health

Grammar Patterns

feel herself

feel like herself

Usage Note

This sense is narrower than sense 5 ('not herself'). Sense 5 covers any emotional or physical change from a person's usual state. Sense 6 is specifically tied to physical illness and asks about the person's state of mind during that illness. It often appears in questions ('Is she feeling herself?') and in recovery contexts ('She is beginning to feel herself again').

Common Mistakes

She didn't feel herself after losing her job.' (correct, but this is sense 5 — a mood change).
Use sense 6 only when the trigger is a physical illness or injury: 'She didn't feel herself while she had the stomach flu.
Reserve this sense for situations where a physical health problem is the cause.
Idioms

be, seem, etc. herself

idiom

To be in a normal state of health or happiness.

After a good night's sleep, Maya felt herself again.

Did Sara seem herself at the party last night?

(all) by herself

idiom

Alone or without anyone else present.

Aiden's grandmother lives by herself in a small house.

Can you believe she painted the whole fence by herself?

(all) to herself

idiom

For only her to have or use, not shared with others.

In the library, she found a quiet corner all to herself.

Does she have a study room to herself in the apartment?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/3

All four phrases describe a woman doing something without other people, but they differ in nuance. 'Alone' is the most neutral and simply states the absence of others: 'She ate dinner alone.' 'By herself' adds a hint of independence or self-reliance — it can mean either 'without company' or 'without assistance,' depending on context. 'On her own' overlaps heavily with 'by herself' but is slightly more informal and often emphasises independent effort: 'She built the desk on her own.' 'Solo' is narrower: it is used almost exclusively for performances, trips, or activities that are typically done in groups, like 'She travelled solo through Vietnam' or 'She sang solo at the concert.' In everyday conversation, 'by herself' and 'on her own' are the most common and versatile choices for Taiwanese learners at B1 level.

by herselfalone ↗on her ownsolo ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • by herself
  • not herself
  • feel herself
  • of her own
  • for herself

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'herself' comes from Old English 'hire selfre', a combination of the feminine possessive 'hire' (her) and the adjective 'self' (same, own). In Middle English, 'hire' became 'her' and 'selfre' simplified to 'self', and the two words fused into the single pronoun 'herself' by the 1300s. The reflexive and emphatic uses both appeared early, while the fixed phrases 'by herself' and 'not herself' developed later in the early modern period.