How to Use self-sufficient in a Sentence

self-sufficient

adjective
  • There is a false sense that the trees and shrubs are more self-sufficient.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 28 Dec. 2024
  • The need to be self-sufficient in energy is greater than any time since the First and Second World Wars.
    — Heather Farmbrough, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • In the Navajo Nation’s eyes, the U.S. has not yet lived up to its promises to help the tribe become self-sufficient.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Mar. 2023
  • Then the mother gives birth to live young, and these babies are self-sufficient with teeth and jaws, ready to survive on their own.
    — Gareth J. Fraser, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
  • The family learned how to be self-sufficient, Ms. Wirkkala said.
    — Julie Lasky, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
  • My biggest goal in life is to help feed people and help people thrive and learn to be more self-sufficient.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2024
  • In 1985, Rat was recruited by Black Flag to provide full sound on the road, as part of a crew to enable the band to be self-sufficient on tour.
    — Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
  • Like many 18 year olds, my grief is composed and self-sufficient one moment, then reckless, loud, and needy the next.
    — Rebecca Soffer, Time, 10 May 2025
  • They’re supposed to be the empowered and self-sufficient ones.
    — Annie Lord, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Anyone who visits the North Rim after Oct. 16 is advised to be self-sufficient and bring enough food and water for the day.
    — Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 19 July 2023
  • The pandemic seems to have triggered the spike, as folks strove to be self-sufficient by producing their own eggs.
    — Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2024
  • This is a great long-term investment for a more stable, self-sufficient world.
    — George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Each cottage is a self-sufficient studio with its own bathroom and wet bar.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2023
  • Since then, the Navy says the naval station is completely self-sufficient with its own sources for water and power.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
  • And so in no way is our goal to build a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem.
    — Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg.com, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Migrants who are able to work start paying rent and become self-sufficient.
    — Mike Damiano, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023
  • The campus must also be financially self-sufficient by 2045, or when the bond is paid off if that comes first.
    — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • And in true off-grid fashion, the compound is said to be fully self-sufficient, with provisions for food and water.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 9 May 2025
  • Why would becoming more self-sufficient also open them up to trade shocks?
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025
  • To top it off, Six Senses La Sagesse plans to operate on a self-sufficient and plastic-free basis.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Dogs are cute and all, but there’s something to be said for having a mostly self-sufficient animal.
    — Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Star, 1 July 2024
  • From the outset, Soleimani sought to create a flexible network in which each constituent part of the axis was self-sufficient.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2024
  • The latest siege has only further crippled the ability of Gaza to be food self-sufficient.
    — Yara M. Asi, The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2024
  • The scale of this in situ production will be staggering if the colony is truly to be considered self-sufficient.
    — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2023
  • That’s because rooftop tents are entirely self-sufficient and don’t need any of the things that ground tents require, like space to pitch and ground soft enough to insert tent pegs into.
    — Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2024
  • Kate Hudson believes that children should learn to be self-sufficient early in life.
    — Ashley Hume, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2025
  • As recently as the early 1990s, China was self-sufficient in oil.
    — Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
  • The research revealed that even some millennials and Gen Xers don’t feel self-sufficient yet.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2024
  • The big picture: The benefits of growing your own herbs are far-reaching, from the simple joy of a new hobby to becoming a bit more self-sufficient.
    — Sami Sparber, Axios, 28 Sep. 2024
  • Turns out, even the most off-grid, self-sufficient, nomadic existence is a construct that can be dismantled, piece by piece.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-sufficient.' 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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