1650s, "act of defending oneself," first attested in Hobbes, from self- + defense. In sports sense, first with reference to fencing (1728), then boxing (1820s).
双语例句
1. He has never exhibited the self-confidence, bordering on arrogance, of his predecessor.
他从未表现出他前任的那种近乎傲慢的自信。
来自柯林斯例句
2. I felt so self-conscious under Luke's mother's intense gaze.
在卢克母亲审视的目光下，我感到极不自在。
来自柯林斯例句
3. She has now changed into a happy, self-confident woman.
如今她已经变成一个快乐、自信的女人。
来自柯林斯例句
4. He is being treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
他因开枪自残受伤正在接受治疗。
来自柯林斯例句
5. She summoned up all her pity for him, to smother her self-pity.