self-improvement

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English improvement English self-improvement From self- + improvement.

1. The following of a disciplined programme to improve one's physical health, mental health or character.

   “He believes that self-improvement and its growing popularity are symptoms of what he calls individualism.”

2. The bettering of one's status.

   “In the year 1851 a small group of workmen in the Locomotive Department of the old Midland Railway Company at Derby met for self-improvement, and formed what was then known as a "reading society".”

   “Ambition and self-improvement are certainly not negatives, although one potential downside to being more self-conscious—especially for punk bands—is muted urgency.”