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What is the origin of selfie?
The first-known appearance of selfie in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, selfie was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 2013 memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word selfie, with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.
Examples of selfie in a Sentence
Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2024
What started as an atypical rescue on a Georgia road ended with a social media-worthy selfie.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
One photo in the upload was a side-profile selfie of Chelsea all dolled up.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Use full power for distant subjects and ramp down to 1/16 for macro shots and selfies.
—PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old president of the far-right National Rally party, was greeted like a rock star, snapping selfies with fans.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
While meandering toward the museum’s mammal exhibition, a field trip chaperone recognizes him and asks for a selfie while praising the show and his character.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The wife of former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce met Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, at the game and posed for a selfie together.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, Brittany posted a beaming selfie with a bare face after sharing photos of her in full glam for a family photo shoot.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selfie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Selfie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfie. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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