1
: that identical one that is I
—used reflexively
I'm going to get myself a new suit
, for emphasisI myself will go
, or in absolute constructionsmyself a tourist, I nevertheless avoided other tourists
2
: my normal, healthy, or sane condition
didn't feel myself yesterday
Using Myself in Place of I or Me: Usage Guide
Myself is often used where I or me might be expected: as subject
to wonder what myself will say
—Emily Dickinson
others and myself continued to press for the legislation
, after as, than, or like
an aversion to paying such people as myself to tutor
was enough to make a better man than myself quail
old-timers like myself
, and as object.
now here you see myself with the diver
for my wife and myself it was a happy time
Such uses almost always occur when the speaker or writer is referring to himself or herself as an object of discourse rather than as a participant in discourse. The other reflexive personal pronouns are similarly but less frequently used in the same circumstances. Critics have frowned on these uses since about the turn of the century, probably unaware that they serve a definite purpose. Users themselves are as unaware as the critics—they simply follow their instincts. These uses are standard.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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