self-supporting

adjective

ˌself-sə-ˈpȯr-tiŋ How to pronounce self-supporting (audio)
Definition of self-supportingnext
as in independent
able to take care of oneself or itself without outside help she had to take a higher-paying job in order to be self-supporting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-supporting Tekton bonds the body together into a seamless, self-supporting monocoque optimized for thermal and leakproof integrity. — New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026 Public schools in Florida are funded on a per-student basis, and schools that operate at about half capacity or less typically do not generate enough money to be self-supporting, instead draining the district’s budget. — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026 The homes' cutting-edge features are designed to feed into a self-supporting energy system that powers each neighborhood with a community battery and has the capability to operate independently during a grid outage. — Medgina Saint-Elien, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023 Despite concerns that failure to be in the blue reading group in first grade dooms a child’s adult options to a career in coal mining (or worse, a lesser UC), both have been completely self-supporting (and not in the coal-mining industry) since graduating from college. — Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-supporting
independent
Adjective
  • Economic progress slows when that guarantee is taken away, as Hong Kong has witnessed in its sad regression from the promises of an independent judiciary made in 1997.
    — Tom Campbell, Oc Register, 4 July 2026
  • However, the results reported by xDots still come primarily from pilot projects, so broader independent validation will be needed to determine whether similar savings can be achieved consistently across different industries.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
Definition of independent

Browse Nearby Words

self-supported
self-supporting
self-sustained
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Cite this Entry

“Self-supporting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-supporting. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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