self
noun /self/
  /self/
(plural selves 
Idioms  /selvz/
  /selvz/
)- [countable, usually singular] the type of person you are, especially the way you normally behave, look or feel
- You'll soon be feeling your old self again (= feeling well or happy again).
 - He's not his usual happy self this morning.
 - Only with a few people could she be her real self (= show what she was really like rather than what she pretended to be).
 - his private/professional self (= how he behaves at home/work)
 
Extra Examples- He's his usual cheerful self again.
 - She knew that with a holiday he would be back to his former self.
 - Her private and public selves were vastly different.
 
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- whole
 - real
 - true
 - …
 
- reveal
 - discover
 - find
 - …
 
- a loss of self
 - a sense of self
 - a shadow of your former self
 - …
 
 - [uncountable] (also the self [singular])(formal) a person’s personality or character that makes them different from other people
- Many people living in institutions have lost their sense of self (= the feeling that they are individual people).
 - the inner self (= a person’s emotional and spiritual character)
 - a lack of confidence in the self
 
Extra Examples- He was afraid to reveal his innermost self.
 - a book about reaching for one's better self
 - a movie about a boy who falls in love and finds his true self in the process
 - He argues that there has been an increased focus on the self.
 
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- whole
 - real
 - true
 - …
 
- reveal
 - discover
 - find
 - …
 
- a loss of self
 - a sense of self
 - a shadow of your former self
 - …
 
 - [uncountable] (formal) your own advantage or pleasure rather than that of other people
- She didn't do it for any reason of self.
 - Self, self, self! That’s all you ever think about!
 
 - [countable] used to refer to a person
- You didn't hurt your little self, did you?
 - We look forward to seeing Mrs Brown and your good self this evening.
 - I was very thirsty (note to self: bring water on walks!).
 
 
Word OriginOld English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelf and German selbe. Early use was emphatic, expressing the sense ‘(I) myself’, ‘(he) himself’, etc.
Idioms 
be a shadow/ghost of your former self 
- to not have the strength, influence, etc. that you used to have
- When his career ended, he became a shadow of his former self.