self-contained
/ˌsɛlfkənˈteɪnd
/adjective
1(Of a thing) complete, or having all that is needed, in itself: every section of the painting is a self-contained unit a handheld, self-contained CD-ROM system...
- Their completely self-contained unit is environmentally friendly, water wise, while the company will also take away the waste water.
- It is a completely self-contained cooling unit, which is located outside of the computer case.
- Planning permission is not required for the sub-division of the altered building into separate self-contained retail units.
Synonyms
complete, independent, separate, free-standing, enclosed
1.1British (Of accommodation) having its own kitchen and bathroom, and typically its own private entrance: a group of self-contained flats...
- Other accommodation includes a small self-contained house at the back of the main building, which has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette and its own entrance that opens onto the cobbled stable yard.
- The remainder of the property is laid out in bedroom accommodation with a self-contained apartment on the first floor and an additional seven to eight bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper floors.
- There are also 16 converted cottages that provide charming self-contained accommodation in the grounds.
2(Of a person) quiet and independent; not depending on or influenced by others: he’s very self-contained...
- Fred is a quiet, unassuming, self-contained scientist with a tremendous capacity for seeing a difficult practical problem through to its conclusion.
- He's now self-contained and self-sufficient in a whole new way and he's even more dangerous here than in Magnolia.
- I can look after myself better than most people; I'm self-contained.
Synonyms
independent, standing on one's own two feet, self-sufficient, self-reliant, introverted, undemonstrative, quiet, private, aloof, insular, reserved, unemotional, uncommunicative, reticent, secretive
Derivatives
self-containment
- For many people and for a long time, a white cross on a red background - the Swiss national flag - represented security, neutrality, wealth and a peculiar attitude of smug self-containment reserved for a small nation.
- Small, dark and wiry, with piercing blue eyes, Max, arguably Britain's greatest living composer, is his usual contradictory mix of calm self-containment and sharp, simmering energy.
- The theme of self-reliance didn't have any greater political meaning for me as a kid than simply to resonate with my emotional self-containment in the face of familial upheaval.