˜yĞÄvlog

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

self-employed

[ self-em-ploid, self- ]

adjective

  1. earning one's living directly from one's own profession or business, as a freelance writer or artist, rather than as an employee earning salary or commission from another.


self-employed

adjective

  1. earning one's living in one's own business or through freelance work, rather than as the employee of another
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ËŒ²õ±ğ±ô´Ú-±ğ³¾Ëˆ±è±ô´Ç²â³¾±ğ²Ô³Ù, noun
Discover More

˜yĞÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of self-employed1

First recorded in 1945–50
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

NI rates paid by workers and the self-employed were cut in 2024, but previous changes to the way tax is calculated mean the amount many people pay overall has risen.

From

Those who don't qualify for the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage include the self-employed, company directors, volunteers, members of the armed forces and prisoners.

From

And many big box stores aren’t capable of filing your taxes if you’re self-employed or run your own business or have another complicated tax situation.

From

Under plans announced on Sunday, the requirement to conduct a test would be extended to self-employed contractors carrying out work on behalf of a company.

From

Only 22% of workers have regular salaries, the majority are self-employed and nearly a fifth are "unpaid helpers", including women working in family businesses.

From

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Self-employed

What doesÌıself-employed mean?

Self-employed means earning one’s main income by getting paid directly for one’s work, such as by owning one’s own business, as opposed to being an employee and getting paid by an employer.

When people describe themselves as self-employed, it typically means that this is their primary way of earning income, and that they do it full-time—as opposed to working as an employee and doing freelance work on the side, for example.

The term self-employed is often used by and applied to people who consider themselves business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

Self-employed is sometimes used to collectively refer to self-employed people, as in This program is intended to help the self-employed.Ìı

The state of being self-employed is self-employment.

Example: I love being self-employed—my boss is amazing.

Where doesÌıself-employed come from?

The first records of the word self-employed come from the late 1700s. Its base word, employ, ultimately derives from the Latin ¾±³¾±è±ô¾±³¦Äå°ù±ğ, meaning “to engage†(the word engage is sometimes used to mean “to hire†or “to employâ€). The self part of the word is used in the same way in other words like self-governed and the more recently coined self-partnered.

Most people who are self-employed will tell you that it has its pros and cons. On the positive side, you’re your own boss. But it’s often a lot of responsibility and risk. People who are self-employed don’t get many of the benefits associated with being a full-time employee of a company or organization. Being self-employed doesn’t necessarily mean you work alone—many self-employed business owners employ other people.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to self-employed?

What are some words that share a root or word element with self-employed?Ìı

What are some words that often get used in discussing self-employed?

How isÌıself-employed used in real life?

Self-employed is often used in the context of one’s status as a worker, such as for tax purposes.

Ìı

Ìı

Try usingÌıself-employed!

Is self-employed used correctly in the following sentence?

Filing taxes when you’re self-employed is tricky—you don’t have an employer keeping track of anything for you.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement