itself

Itself is a third-person neuter reflexive pronoun in English. It refers back to an antecedent that is inanimate or non-specific, such as a machine, a situation, or the subject “it.” It can also function as an intensive pronoun to emphasize a noun phrase or clause, as in “the system itself.”

As part of the reflexive pronoun paradigm, itself agrees with its antecedent in number and person. It is used with singular, non-human antecedents. For plural antecedents, the forms themselves are used, as in “the machines repaired themselves.” For human or animate antecedents, the appropriate reflexive forms are himself, herself, or themselves, not itself.

In sentence structure, itself typically marks a reflexive action: “The car fixed itself,” or “The system repaired itself.” It can also appear in an intensive role, after a noun or noun phrase: “The problem itself is not new,” or “The committee prided itself on its efficiency.” When used intensively, it emphasizes the noun rather than replacing a subject.

Etymology traces itself to Old English, combining a neuter pronoun hit (it) with the suffix -self, a development shared by related pronouns throughout the Germanic languages.

Usage notes emphasize that itself generally refers to non-human, inanimate, or abstract antecedents. While anthropomorphized objects or animals may be described with it, referring to people with itself is unusual and typically avoided in formal writing. In linguistics, itself is classified as a reflexive pronoun and an anaphor.