Definition of "self-determination" [self•-de•ter•mi•na•tion]

• Determination of one's own fate or course of action without compulsion; free will. (noun)
• Freedom of the people of a given area to determine their own political status; independence. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Even the term 'self-determination' has to be modified as religious people may understand the movement of their life not as self-determined but rather as co-determined with God's will."
• ""He mentioned the term self-determination half a dozen times but never related self determination to Palestinians.""
• "Simply put, the first part of the phrase self-determination is the word self."