What does himself mean?
Himself is a third-person masculine pronoun with two related functions. Reflexively, it refers back to a male subject: in 'John cut himself,' it indicates that John performed the action on his own body or in his own interest. Intensively, it emphasizes the male subject or contrasts him with others: 'John himself wrote the letter' stresses John's personal involvement. The word is also common in expressions such as 'by himself', meaning alone, and 'a moment to himself', meaning private time. Unlike 'themselves', 'himself' identifies a male referent, though modern usage may be understood more broadly in some contexts. Its clarity and compactness make it especially useful in narration, dialogue, and reports, where it avoids repeating a subject's name while also placing emphasis where needed.
pronounA third-person masculine reflexive and intensive pronoun, used to refer back to a male subject or to emphasize a male person or action.
- A third-person masculine reflexive pronoun referring to a previously mentioned male subject.
- An intensive pronoun used to emphasize a male subject, especially in contrasts or with expressions such as 'by himself'.
"He kept the decision to himself until the meeting began."
"The witness told the story to himself under his breath."
"The captain himself entered the room and announced the news."
One small word carries two jobs: it can point back to a man or make clear that he did something alone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does himself come from?
The word combines the Old English pronoun 'him' with 'self', an Old English word related to 'same'. Forms such as 'myself' and 'yourself' were developed analogously, while 'himself' became established as the third-person masculine reflexive and intensive pronoun. The compound structure reflects a long-standing English pattern of forming emphatic and reflexive forms by joining a subject pronoun with 'self'.
How himself is actually used
The intensive use often appears with 'by' or after a noun: 'he did it himself', 'the author himself'. In formal writing, it can be used for emphasis, though nominal constructions such as 'the author himself' may sound more emphatic or archaic than 'the author personally'.
Easily confused with himself
There is no distinct word to confuse with this pronoun; its main usage is as the third-person masculine form of the intensive and reflexive pronouns.