himself

Himself is a third-person singular reflexive pronoun in English, used to refer back to a male antecedent that has already been mentioned or is understood in the same clause. It is the masculine counterpart of herself (feminine), itself (neuter), and themselves (plural). Its primary functions are reflexive and intensive.

As a reflexive pronoun, himself indicates that the subject performs an action on or for the subject itself. Examples include: He prepared himself a meal; She blamed herself; The boy congratulated himself. In these cases, the pronoun agrees in person and number with the antecedent and typically appears as the object of the verb or a preposition.

As an intensive (emphatic) pronoun, himself can emphasize the subject, often in positions such as before the main clause verb or after a noun: The prince himself announced the news; He did it himself. In both uses, the reference is to the same masculine subject, though the emphasis reading is distinguished from the reflexive reading by its syntactic role and emphasis.

Usage notes include how to choose among reflexive forms based on the antecedent’s gender and number. If the antecedent is unknown or gender-neutral, many writers prefer gender-neutral forms or restructure to avoid ambiguity. In standard English, reflexive pronouns cannot replace the subject; they must have a preceding masculine antecedent in the singular form when used reflexively.

Etymology traces himself to older forms such as sylf or self in Old English, evolving into the modern reflexive pronoun used in contemporary English.