pron
itself
iht-SEHLF
pron
1
Used to refer back to a thing that is both the subject and the object of the same action.
"The cat cleaned itself after the meal."
"The company reorganized itself after the merger."
2
Used for emphasis, to stress that something acted alone or that a quality applies purely to the thing named.
"The problem itself was simple, but explaining it took hours."
"The engine itself was fine — it was the wiring that failed."
How to Use Itself
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA reflexive/emphatic pronoun used when "it" is doing something to or referring back to itself.
Common mistake
Don't use "itself" as a subject on its own ("Itself is broken") — it must refer back to a noun already mentioned or about to be mentioned.
Common pairings
by itself
in itself
itself the cause
Word Forms
themselves plural
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The cat cleaned _____ after the meal.
Etymology
From Middle English hit self, built from "it" plus the reflexive suffix "-self", the same pattern seen in "himself" and "herself".