different between myself vs yourself

English

Alternative forms

• meself (non-standard)
• myselfe (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English myself, meself, me-self, me sylf, from Old English m? self, m? seolf (“myself”), equivalent to me (pronoun) + self (pronoun), later partly reinterpreted as my + self (noun), my +? -self. Compare Scots mysel, mysell (“myself”), West Frisian mysels (“myself”), Dutch mijzelf (“myself”), Norwegian Bokmål meg selv (“myself”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ma??s?lf/
• Rhymes: -?lf
• Hyphenation: my?self

Pronoun

myself (reflexive case of I)

1. (reflexive) Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject. [from 9th c.]
2. Personally, for my part; used in apposition to I, sometimes for simple emphasis and sometimes with implicit exclusion of any others performing the activity described. [from 10th c.]
3. In my normal state of body or mind.
4. Me (as the object of a verb or preposition). [from 10th c.]

   I feel like myself.

5. (archaic) I (as the subject of a verb). [from 14th c.]
   • 1653, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged:

     Myself am confident that an ointment of it is one of the best remedies for a scabby head that is.

6. (India, Pakistan, nonstandard) my name is...

Usage notes

• Use where I could be used is mostly poetic or archaic, except with a coordinating conjunction, such as and.
• Garner's Modern American Usage (2009) reports opposition to the intensifier use, especially where I could be used.
• AP Stylebook Online (2010) reports opposition to the intensifier use as reflexive pronouns (like myself) should not be used instead of objective pronouns (like me).

Synonyms

• (reflexive pronoun): me

Related terms

• myselves

Translations

See also

Middle English

Alternative forms

• myselve

Etymology

From Old English m? self, m? seolf, equivalent to my +? self.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mi?s?lf/

Pronoun

myself

1. myself

Descendants

• English: myself
• Yola: meezil

References

• “m?-self, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

English

Etymology

Equivalent to your +? -self.

Alternative forms

• yerself
• yo'self
• yoself
• Yourself (honorific)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, strong) IPA^(key): /j???s?lf/
• (Received Pronunciation, strong) IPA^(key): /j??s?lf/
• (General American, strong) IPA^(key): /j???s?lf/
• (General American, weak) IPA^(key): /j??s?lf/
• Hyphenation: your?self
• Rhymes: -?lf

Pronoun

yourself (referring to the person being spoken to, previously mentioned, the reflexive case of you)

1. (reflexive) Your own self (singular).

   Be careful with that fire or you'll burn yourself.

2. You (singular); used emphatically, especially to indicate exclusiveness of the referent's participation in the predicate, i.e., that no one else is involved.

   You yourself know that what you wrote was wrong.

   After a good night's sleep you'll feel like yourself again.

Translations

Derived terms

• hello yourself, and see how you like it

See also