How to Use self-determination in a Sentence

self-determination

noun
  • There is a part of me that still sees this act of self-determination as a moral failing.
    — Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 18 May 2025
  • Some of us have a vision for our lives but lack self-determination due to fear, trauma, or self-doubt.
    — Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Owning her anger gave her a greater sense of agency and self-determination.
    — Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
  • People feel a strong need for freedom and self-determination right now.
    — Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2024
  • These guys are not just restricting the rights, self-determination to bear a child for a young woman.
    — David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 25 Feb. 2024
  • That right to self-determination and to amend or make mistakes is absent in Iran.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Indeed, it was conceived as a step in self-determination.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The right to self-determination can become the right to self-destruction.
    — Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Just self-determination, just getting up and doing it.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
  • This issue is not only about the safety and health of our water, but also the right to self-determination.
    — Mel Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
  • But for those who live in Greenland, there remains a strong desire for self-determination.
    — Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 9 Jan. 2026
  • But for both men, the pursuit of romantic love proves secondary to the challenge of self-determination.
    — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
  • Freedom, to me, is the right of self-determination and human dignity.
    — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2024
  • These clearly violate our right to self-determination and freedom of thought.
    — Nita Farahany, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2023
  • His life was full of color and art and self-determination to get sober after experiencing so much tragedy.
    — Catherine Mhloyi, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
  • Once you’re centered on this point, the only issue left is how to present to others your commitment to self-determination.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Of course, one hopes for freedom and self-determination for the Iranian people.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • What followed was not just the growth of an industry, but the strengthening of tribal self-determination.
    — Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
  • And on a holiday devoted to the idea of self-determination, that’s a goal worth pursuing.
    — Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 June 2026
  • The holiday is all about honoring Black self-determination and dreams, so for me, food entrepreneurs are a great place to start.
    — Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 19 June 2023
  • Aries is the first spark — the purest expression of lifeforce, urgency, and self-determination.
    — Colin Bedell, Them, 14 Jan. 2025
  • But the broader issue is self-determination.
    — Tiffany Caban, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The best way to achieve this is still a two-state solution based on self-determination, sovereignty, and security for both peoples.
    — Mary Robinson, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
  • But now, under the self-determination act, name and gender changes will be processed within three months of filing the self-disclosure form.
    — Anna Gordon, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
  • The result has been a denial of basic health care to people most in need of it, and a denial of control, dignity and self-determination.
    — Don Aptekar, Denver Post, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Hezbollah continues to bill itself as a group fighting for Lebanon's right to self-determination.
    — Doha Madani, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024
  • Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination.
    — Joe Morgan, Fox News, 12 Oct. 2023
  • For an agreement that would enable self-determination, freedom of movement, fair land ownership for the people.
    — Laurel Dalrymple, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
  • High-profile court cases exposed the ethical dilemmas around end-of-life care and patient self-determination.
    — Jennifer McCurdy, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
  • In fact, they can both be read as coming-out and self-determination anthems on the merits and strength of their own lyrics and in-universe interpretation.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 26 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-determination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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