self-directedadj.
/ˌsɛlfdᵻˈrɛktᵻd/, /ˌsɛlfdʌɪˈrɛktᵻd/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈrɛktəd/, /ˌsɛlfˌdaɪˈrɛktəd/ 1. Of a person: that is not controlled by or does not defer to another or others; that manages or demonstrates the ability to manage his or her own affairs, work, learning, etc., without help or guidance.In quot. 1742 with reference to God.
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society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > independence > [adjective] > not subordinate or subject
freeOE
unsubjectc1384
unsubordinate1641
unsubservient1656
unsubordinated1658
self-directed1742
sceptreless1820
1742 J. Wesley & C. Wesley Hymns & Sacred Poems i. 4 He..A Partner in His Work disdains; In power and Knowledge Infinite the Self-directed Spirit reigns.
1774 T. Hull Henry II iv. 48 I boast no Power O'er this perverse, this self-directed Wanton.
1838 A. H. Everett Addr. delivered before Peithessophian & Philoclean Societies Wesleyan Univ. 2 No longer looking up to others with implicit faith as the guides of your course,..you are now to go forward as independent, self-directed, self-sustaining men.
1891 Indiana School Jrnl. & Teacher May 254 He will then leave school a self-directed person. He will be able to grapple with the problems of life, whatever they may be.
1981 Adult Educ. (Washington) 32 21 An organized and sustained effort to assist adults to learn in a way that enhances their capability to function as self-directed learners.
2009 Sheffield Tel. (Nexis) 30 Apr. Flexible, innovative, self-directed employees are important for business success.
2. Of an action or activity: carried out or performed without external control or guidance; (of behaviour, a feeling, etc.) controlled or regulated by oneself.In quot. 1894: resulting from conscious thought as opposed to reflex or instinct.
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1791 Monthly Rev. Sept. 57 Study is a hard word and chiefly irksome because exercise is left to be self-directed.
1808 C. Lamb Ulysses (1848) vii. 74 Some have said that they [sc. our vessels] have no need of pilot or rudder, but that they move instinctively, self-directed.
1841 John Bull 27 Nov. 572/1 The self-directed efforts of the planters have procured them partial supplies of free coloured labourers.
1894 Pop. Sci. Monthly Feb. 516 Those spontaneous and self-directed acts of perception, adaptation, combination, and invention which can not be performed without the exercise of genuine intellectual power.
1921 N. Amer. Rev. May 649 There would be about this self gained and self-directed education a certain rugged sincerity which is wholly admirable.
1933 Jrnl. Health & Physical Educ. Oct. 10/1 Simple basic facts, accompanied by desirable attitudes, may be potent factors in motivating self-directed human behavior.
2016 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 27 Oct. She now trains six days a week with three one-hour training sessions with her trainer and three self-directed workouts.
3. Of an emotion, statement, thought, etc.: directed at or addressed to oneself.
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1848 Waukesha (Wisconsin) Democrat 12 Sept. ‘Who could it be with her?’ Without waiting for a reply to this self-directed query, she retreated to elude their observation.
1907 Weekly Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 27 Nov. 11/5 He stopped to absorb the full effect of his own self-directed logic.
1957 J. H. Raleigh Mathew Arnold & Amer. Culture iv. 129 The tonic of irony was always there, and usually self-directed.
1990 N.Y. Woman Dec. 97/3 It's a classic Pennyism: a self-directed zinger that makes one simultaneously laugh at her and feel for her.
2011 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 12 Oct. There can also be self-directed anger for not seeing the crisis coming earlier and taking action.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1742